Playing Cupid
by Definitely Not Kelly
Summary: Matchmaker is an akumatized villain who forces his victims to return the feelings of one-sided love, so no one is more surprised than Chat Noir when Ladybug returns the feelings of Nathanael after being struck by the akuma's magic. Now Adrien must figure out a way to get Ladybug to use her Miraculous Cure while controlling his jealousy. Why is Marinette also fawning over Nathanael?
1. Chapter 1

**Important AN:** While I've made no edits to the story, I want to caution those sensitive to topics such as sexual abuse, due to being very aware there are some unintentional but very real problematic elements to this work. Despite there being no sexual content in the story, there are still themes of dubious consent. I wrote this all in one week of finals and low sleep, so I skirted over lines that I shouldn't have brushed off so casually.

That said, I would take this down, but I'm aware there are people who still enjoy this work. While I can no longer in good conscience leave this story without a disclaimer, I highly appreciate all of you who took the time to read my writing and will leave this up out of consideration.

* * *

"Let's see how you feel about me now, Chloe!"

Another day, another akuma caused by Chloe. Ladybug sighed from her place atop the green stairs of the school, bringing her yoyo up in her hand. A part of her pitied the akuma- it was one thing to be rejected, but it was something else entirely to be rejected by the spoiled mayor's daughter. Kim had reflected that situation entirely. The fact that another boy would fall prey to the same scenario frustrated Marinette to no end. As fate would have it, even the akumatized villain was much like Kim's had been… or at least, he was as much the same to Heartbreaker as Chat Noir was to Ladybug.

Before Matchmaker could send a blast of fire towards a cowering and screeching Chloe, Chat Noir leapt into the court out of seemingly nowhere. Without pause, he parried the villain's wooden staff with his metal one, diverting the blow in the direction of the school ceiling.

"You might want to _cool off_ there. Some of these people can't take the heat, if you catch my meaning," Chat Noir announced, a smug grin on his face as Matchmaker grit his teeth. The possessed teenager was clad in tight-fitting orange, his long red hair curled up in the shape of a flame and his brown eyes carrying a burning fury to match. When the wooden staff came swinging for the top of Chat Noir's skull, the masked hero blocked the hit just as easily, but that did nothing to stop the kick aimed at his heel directly after.

"No one can quell the flames of love!" Matchmaker snarled, sending a burst of fire at the tall guy peeking out from behind a school bench. Both Chat Noir and Ladybug- the cat on the ground and the girl still above the crimescene- widened their eyes in horror as the flame hit him square in the chest. Instead of burning him, his body began to glow. The glow dissipated two seconds later, and Kim traded his wide-eyed surprise for the goofiest smile Ladybug had ever seen on her classmate.

"I need to find Alix," he said with a dreamy sigh, standing up straight and spinning on his heel to leave.

"That's enough, Matchmaker!" Ladybug called, having made her way down the steps to cast her yoyo at his ankle. The man gasped for air when his back hit the ground, and by the time he mustered the strength to sit up, Ladybug and Chat Noir stood over him, arms crossed. Undeterred, he pointed his staff up at them.

"Did no one ever tell you not to play with fire?" Ladybug found herself inadvertently smiling at her partner's quip, and her eyes flickered down to the staff that caused a number of new couples today. Though she was very much a fan of love, the knowledge that all the victims were forced into returning one-sided affections didn't sit well with her. The villain scowled at the duo with disgust flickering in his gaze.

"It must be nice... having your feelings returned by one another," he spat, and Ladybug jumped at the implication of his words. Beside her, Chat Noir's shoulders tensed, also caught off guard by the sudden jump to conclusions.

"What?!" she asked out of reflex, her arms up in the air as if to make a defense from the accusation. They lowered back to her sides when she caught Chat Noir's green eyes snaking up to meet hers, and she could _see_ the flirtatious comment that was about to leave his lips. Preparing to roll her eyes in advance, the two instead backed away from each other when fire barreled through the space between them.

"Too bad, but I bet someone else is dying for some Ladybug love," Matchmaker said with a wry grin, and jabbed the staff directly into Ladybug's chest as a bright orange glow surfaced from its tip.

In the next instant, the world swimmed around her head as a force different from gravity uprooted her from where she stood. All she could see was the upturned corners of Matchmaker's smile; all she could hear was the echo of her partner's voice, calling out her name. The feeling of warmth flooded her entire being, wiping away all prior affection until an entirely new love tied her to the ground she stumbled across backwards. Just as reality started to come back to her, her eyes were immediately pulled in the direction of the glass window of one of the classroom doors.

She felt her cheeks grow warm as she caught the incredulous aqua eyes staring back at her. How had she never noticed the unique shade that was comparable to the shores of vast oceans?

"Nathanael," she said, testing his name on her tongue with an entirely new weight. From the corners of her eyes, she realized too late that Matchmaker had been reaching for her Miraculous. It was Chat Noir who shoved himself between her and the villain, shoving him away with his baton and extending it to draw a distance.

" _Nathanael_?" he reiterated with his head angled towards her, his brow furrowed with disbelief.

She giggled, not sure whether it was because of bashfulness or the simple joy of hearing the name. Looking back at the window, she shot a wink at the redhead standing at rapt attention on the opposite side, and she was delighted when the action spurred an immediate blush. The importance of capturing the akuma decreased exponentially, and Ladybug ran from both her partner and enemy in order to make a break for the door across the basketball court.

"Ladybug?" Nathanael asked when she bolted through the door, the boy confused and still red from before.

"I'm getting you away from here!" she insisted, extending her hand to him. The boy hesitated, but she wiggled her fingers in further invitation. As soon as he grabbed onto her hand, she ran to the nearest window and reeled him in closer to her side in one fluid pull. The artist let out a startled outcry, but Ladybug could only smile at the proximity.

"Where are you going? What about the akuma?" Chat Noir called from the doorway. If Ladybug was herself, she would have noted the shrinking volume in his voice despite him stepping closer. If Ladybug was herself, the fleeting glance she cast in his direction would have been enough to see the frustration mixed with disappointment in his eyes. If she was herself, she definitely would not have abandoned her partner to have a date with Nathanael.

"I have an important side mission to take care of," she chirped instead, climbing up the window with her lover in tow and then disappearing with one flick of her wrist.

* * *

" _Nathanael_ ," Adrien repeated, raking both hands through his hair not long after his transformation released. Despite being returned to everyday model Adrien Agreste, his hair fell in a style more akin to Chat Noir when he lowered his hands. "Ladybug fell for Nathanael."

The idea was inconceivable. He stared up at the tall windows from the corner of a now empty classroom. Not long ago, Ladybug had swung across that same patch of sky with her inconceivable match in her arms.

"What? Did you want Matchmaker to make her fall for _you_?" Plagg questioned with narrowed eyes, his green eyes still glowing in the shadows of Adrien's half opened bag.

"Of course not, Plagg!" he snapped. "I shouldn't have let Ladybug get hit at all."

True, Adrien didn't _want_ Ladybug to fall for him because of the magic of an akuma, but that didn't mean the thought hadn't occurred to him. On the list of people with unrequited love for Ladybug, he would have thought Adrien Agreste/Chat Noir took the top. No matter what the people of Paris thought, a year of crime-fighting alongside each other didn't spark the romance Adrien would have liked for them. So he was very surprised when Ladybug was put under a love spell that the first name out of her mouth belonged to the quiet artist who sat in the back of his classroom. Adrien didn't even know he liked her.

What happened to him liking Marinette anyway? He let out an exhausted sigh as he broke his stare from the window. It wouldn't be long until Gorilla came to pick him up.

Meanwhile, Matchmaker still ran amuck, binding rejectors to their rejectees. Little did the bitter fire-flinger know he had meddled with Chat Noir's love-life in the most ironic way possible.

"Maybe I can talk Nathanael into convincing Ladybug to fight again?" His lips formed a thin line as he considered the idea. One way or another, Paris still needed Ladybug to fix this mess.

"Sure, if he's not too busy enjoying smooches with Ladybug."

Adrien sent a glower in the direction of his bag.

"Please shut up, Plagg."


	2. Chapter 2

Before Adrien even found Nathanael again, he felt his stomach twist as soon as he came up the school steps and entered the building.

"Here sweetie, I brought you breakfast."

"Have I told you I love you yet?"

"Wow, you did this for me?"

Adrien lowered his gaze to the ground as soon as he saw one couple make a break for the janitor's closet. It didn't matter which way he looked. Love was in the air, and while Adrien wasn't normally the type to be bothered by such things, it reminded him of the unresolved crisis that had carried over from yesterday. To his left, Nino laid a hand on his shoulder. Peering back up, Adrien forced a smile.

"Paris, the city of love, am I right?" his friend joked, and the smile on Adrien's face became lighter and bemused. Shaking his head with a laugh, the two walked alongside each other to the classroom, where only a few of their classmates also waited. Adrien caught a humored Alya intently watching Kim and Alix on the opposite side of the classroom.

"I keep telling you to step off!" Alix snapped, jaw clenched and a blush dusting her cheeks in spite of her fury. "Just leave me alone already." Kim, entirely unphased, rested a hand on the small girl's shoulder.

"Is that a challenge?" Kim asked with a grin, leaning down to close the towering height difference between them. Alix's blue eyes blazed, and she was quick to elbow him in the ribs before taking her usual seat.

"Yeah, I dare you to try that again and see what happens."

A part of Adrien sympathized for the girl, sensing her mortification. For all her sharp words, she couldn't fool anyone. Everyone knew she had to harbor feelings for Kim in order for him to swooning over her like he was. Taking his seat, he turned his head in time to see Nino and Alya exchange smiles with each other. It was comforting to know the akuma's magic hadn't affected the couple in the slightest.

"Is Marinette oversleeping again?" Nino asked, noting the absence in the seat beside his girlfriend. It was something they all grew used to. More often than not, Marinette wouldn't show up until minutes after their first class began. To the boys' mild surprise, the brunette shook her head, the auburn tips of her hair falling over her shoulder when she glanced down at her cell phone.

"Marinette's awake," she hedged, though she seemed to be at an uncharacteristic loss for what to say afterwards. She sent another look at her phone before pulling a grin and waggling her phone in Adrien's direction.

"Oh, I think I get it! So Adrien, do you like red or green?" she asked, her eyes dancing with a knowing light.

"Red?" The answer was purely reflexive, and Adrien knit his brows together as he tried to connect what the question had to do with anything. The screen of Alya's phone only revealed what looked like a conversation between her and Marinette, and she whisked it away from sight as soon as he spoke. Adrien sent a questioning look at Nino, but the boy only shrugged and leaned back with an all-too-relaxed smile.

In the end, Adrien dropped his curiosity altogether. His attention was next captured by Nathanael opening the door and walking to the back of the class with his eyes trained on the floor. The boy let out a silent huff as he sat down, pulling out the notebook from his backpack. Nathanael opened the book and smoothed one of the pages with practiced casualty, but Adrien was perceptive enough to catch the subtlest smile that softened his face.

A smile for Ladybug.

"Something wrong, dude?" Nino's voice stopped him from his blatant stare, and it wasn't until he felt his features relax that he realized he had been frowning. Snapping back to reality, he reminded himself that he was currently Adrien Agreste and had no reason to be visibly upset. Ladybug's new flame was only smiling rows behind him. He forced a wide smile on his face and rubbed the back of his neck, the gesture awkward despite his whole career being dedicated to forced smiles. He stood up and willed his demeanor to be more convincing.

"No, nothing's wrong. I just remembered something, that's all." He checked the clock for time and stepped away from his desk, leaving his friends to watch him as he made his way to the back. He had a whole five minutes. For what he needed those five minutes for, Adrien hadn't exactly distinguished.

"Hey," he called from beside Nathanael's desk, catching a glimpse of the polka-dotted heroine posed against a white background. Adrien tore away his prying gaze when the image was hastily covered by an elbow, the artist staring up at him.

"Hey," he answered back with uncertainty. "Did you want something?" His voice was polite and not unkind, but the redhead had no idea what Adrien was doing there. When Adrien thought about it, neither did he.

"So, I saw that Ladybug rescued you yesterday. That must have been pretty cool, right?" Adrien waved a hand forward as if to encourage an answer, but seeing Nathanael grow flustered under the name 'Ladybug' derailed his thoughts entirely. Was Plagg right after all? Had they kissed? How much more had a love-sick Ladybug opened up to him over the course of a day compared to all the time she shared with Chat Noir? Adrien found his smile curling into a grimace while the redhead avoided his eyes and fumbled for an answer.

"Oh, uh, yeah! It was cool. Ladybug, she's… really nice."

 _Nice_. With what Adrien saw yesterday, he could only assume that was an understatement. The Chat Noir part of him yearned to lean himself casually on the desk and quip something about how Ladybug was really "nice" to her partner too, but he remembered what happened the last time he lied about Chat Noir dating Ladybug. So instead the model stood with his hands clasped behind his back, deflating as he attempted to salvage the situation with grace.

"You know she's under a spell," Adrien blurted out at point blank. Nathanael straightened in his chair, finally meeting eyes with him. Adrien could feel Plagg's amusement emanating from the bag.

 _Grace,_ Adrien thought to himself. Grace, as in not blatant jealousy.

Nathanael's eyes skittered to the window.

"I know. And Ladybug has other responsibilities to worry about," he admitted, surprising Adrien with his honesty. It was then the classroom door swung open again, and Adrien paused when he took in the sight of his friend running into the classroom. Her typical pigtails foregone for the day, her raven hair was instead held up in a loose bun, stray locks falling delicately around her face. She turned her head in Adrien's and Nathanael's direction, her eyes lit up in a manner Adrien had grown used to seeing. Even so, his attention lingered on her a little longer than usual.

"You look great, girl!" Alya cheered from her desk, earning a breezy laugh from the girl. And she did look great. She was adorned with a sundress, simple yet flattering, lace decorating the ends of the skirt. It was also red, and Adrien wondered if Alya's question had some meaning after all. Marinette placed her pink bag on her desk, but she sent another glance to the two boys at the top of the room instead of sitting down. Adrien had the presence of mind to wave, and Marinette returned the gesture before walking further up to greet them.

"Hey, Marinette," Adrien said, smiling a little easier. The edge from his stifled jealousy was effortlessly forgotten in her presence. He waited only a moment before adding, "The dress looks nice on you." The compliment seemed natural, and from his time knowing Marinette he bet she probably designed it too. The statement relaxed her, and she smiled up at him gratefully.

"Thanks, Adrien. I'm glad you think so." It was when her eyes slid down towards the guy seated between them that he noticed her cheeks were tinged a soft pink. The affection on her face struck him in a way he hadn't expected, but regardless of what he felt about her expression alone, it was nothing in comparison to the shock that jolted through him when she spoke next.

"Don't you like my dress too, Nathanael?"

Her hands leaned on the edges of Nathanael's desk, and Marinette pitched herself forward with disarming demure. Her voice was soft but it carried a charming lilt. Adrien almost choked from the surprise. He took a tentative step back. Out of his periphery vision, Alya and Nino gaped in equal alarm, but no one was more shocked than Nathanael.

"Marinette?" he questioned, his voice jumping an octave. His face rivaled the color of his hair, and his eyes threatened to leave his sockets with the strain put into keeping them open and alert. The girl- oblivious to the astonishment she caused throughout the room- swept a lock of hair behind her ear, nerves laced in her quiet laugh.

"You didn't answer the question," she continued, and Adrien felt like he'd suffocate in between the sudden intimacy. He was intruding, but he was too stunned to move from place. The back of his mind shouted that this was wrong. It was Nathanael who took action, grabbing Marinette's wrist and guiding her down the steps. Marinette gasped but made no move to resist.

"Where are we going?" was all the rest of the class heard as Nathanael pulled her out of sight, the teacher catching the door before it swung shut in their wake. Thoroughly lost, Adrien found himself dropping into his seat and attempting to process what just happened.

"Did anyone see Marinette get hit by Matchmaker?" Alya whispered, trading glances with Nino while Adrien stared after the door. Not only did Matchmaker tie Ladybug to Nathanael, but he somehow managed to give him Marinette as well.

Adrien Agreste didn't understand what happened in the slightest.

Chat Noir, however, had a few ideas on how to proceed.

* * *

Marinette Dupain-Cheng had been the girl of his dreams.

Months ago, anyway.

Nathanael stared at the girl in front of him with the discerning eyes of an artist, watching as she bit her bottom lip between her teeth, reminiscent to a scene he had witnessed only yesterday. She kept glancing at him every so often before deciding she was still too nervous to break the silence he had drawn out. Even though she never told him to stop, he couldn't help the heat that rushed to his face whenever she blushed under his scrutiny. She would smile, sometimes wink, and giggle in a way that assured him he could never do any wrong by her. It was comforting and it was intensely unnatural.

Nathanael finally heaved out a sigh, forcing himself to relax while he sat by a tree. Not knowing where to go as soon as he pulled her out of the room, he had settled for the nearby park in a corner away from plain sight. Though the sun was high in the sky, the shade separated them from the occasional Parisian that was brave enough to be out while an akuma was on the loose. (Not many were as afraid as they would ordinarily be. Tangled love-affairs were somewhat of a normal occurrence for the area, and at least these ones could be resolved through magic.) All things considered, the couple was safe from being herded back to school. Aside from art, Nathanael specialized in staying unassuming and inconspicuous.

It was a lesson Ladybug could afford to learn as Marinette.

"Don't you think others are going to connect the dots?" Nathanael asked, Marinette giving a blank stare before breathing a laugh.

"Was that intentional?"

"Was what intentional?"

"Connecting the dots."

"Oh." The double meaning dawned on him, and he allowed himself to chuckle despite it all. He shook his head. "No, sorry."

Marinette reached for his hand, and he cursed himself for letting his heart-rate spike in response. True, he had gotten over Marinette a long time ago, but it was hard to refuse her when she was like this. Knowing she was Ladybug also helped. It also did _not_ help. He started to draw his hand back, but the way she pursed her lips in disappointment compelled him to keep it in place. Her hand was warm over his and Nathanael decided he hated to have a crush on a superhero of all people. It was worse when she raised her other hand, her fingers dancing up his forearm.

"I trust you, Nathanael. You've always been so sweet." He turned to look at her, but she leaned her head against his instead. He swallowed. It would be so easy to just let this continue on for a few days. Matchmaker wasn't a _real_ threat. He let an arm wrap around her, unable to suppress the thrill of knowing both sides of her. Even if it was magic, Marinette really did trust him not to reveal her secret.

When she was Ladybug, Nathanael had been too busy trying not to have a heart-attack. She brought him to the Eiffel Tower and tried to kiss him, and he panicked. She brought him to the ground upon his request, and people everywhere asked her about capturing the akuma. Eventually, she brought him to his house and asked him to stay safe, and only then did Nathanael grow comfortable around the spotted lady in red.

Now, when she was Marinette, it wasn't a matter of being comfortable. It was a matter of recalling the words Adrien told him earlier and fighting for self-control. Paris needed Ladybug; Ladybug didn't need him. When he was curled up beside her in her civilian form, however, it was too easy to forget about an akuma on the loose. Nobody could blame him for succumbing to the charms of Marinette.

Against his better judgement, they lingered under that tree for another two hours. He made the excuse that it was to convince her to take care with her identity, but that conversation only took all of five minutes. He discovered it was remarkably easy to hold conversation with Marinette, and the girl was curious enough to leaf through his sketchbook. She said she loved every page. For a while they even just sat in silence, drifting off together. Everything was peaceful.

At least, until screams sounded from all around the park, Matchmaker entering the scene with his weapon in hand. Behind him, the statue of Ladybug and Chat Noir crumbled.


	3. Chapter 3

AN: I'm posting two chapters in one day because I feel guilty for all the MariNath I make you guys sit through.

There really is LadyNoir and Adrinette, I promise!

* * *

The park-goers ran every which way they could. Balls of fire flew just the same, some managing to hit bystanders and others wrecking damage wherever else they landed. Laughter could be heard from the fire-themed figure as he swung his staff wildly, making it all too easy for Chat Noir to find him.

Having tiptoed out of the classroom while everyone was glued to the window, Adrien couldn't help but think it was wonderful timing on the villain's part. He vaulted to the top of the fence encasing the park, landing in a crouch. The hero tucked his baton back behind his belt, and proceeded to survey the area. The balls of fire did not ignite anything, but he could tell by some of the love-struck faces passing by that the park-goers suffered from the encounter. Chat Noir dared himself to hope as he squinted further out into the distance, trying to find some flash of red. This was the perfect moment for him to run into Ladybug… if Ladybug decided to show up at all.

When Ladybug's disappearance yesterday afternoon stretched on into the night, Chat Noir knew she had no particular drive to pursue any villains. Her care for the city was completely monopolized by her new feelings, and Adrien had seen several posts on the Ladyblog with images of her escaping at different points in the day, Nathanael always beside her. After reading several headers along the lines of 'Love-Struck Ladybug: Who Will Save Paris?', Adrien fought his building dread. His newfound plan relied on her coming.

Deciding he couldn't wait any longer, he hopped down and hid behind a nearby tree as Matchmaker's laughter grew louder. He leaned forward to take another look when his green eyes locked onto the couple taking cover across from him. Nathanael returned his gaze with similar surprise, and Chat Noir glanced down at the girl who had wrapped her arms around the boy's waist. Marinette. On instinct, Chat Noir narrowed his eyes at Nathanael, the corner of his mind raging at the sight of the two together again.

Scowling, he waved his hand towards the direction he came from to indicate that they should leave. Focusing his attention again, he noticed Matchmaker with his back turned and smirked. His claws up in the air as he stalked his enemy, Chat Noir pounced on the tall villain in a stealth attack. The force of his weight knocked down the both of them, but Chat Noir already had the advantage by kneeling atop Matchmaker's back.

"Just thought I'd _drop_ by," he greeted with a sly grin, ignoring the grumbling of his victim. Matchmaker tried to reach for the wooden fire staff he had dropped during his fall, but Chat Noir grabbed his metal staff and pushed it out of his reach all too easily.

"You're gonna regret that, Chat Noir!" he growled, but the hero didn't feel the least bit perturbed. He knocked the wooden staff further way until it ricocheted off a nearby lamp post and flew back through the air. Chat Noir caught it with his free hand.

"Face it. You've met your match _._ " With that, Chat Noir straightened up and vaulted yet again, this time landing on top of the same lamp post he had taken advantage of seconds ago. He stood and examined the akuma's staff in his hand, hesitant to break it without Ladybug around to purify it.

"No! My staff! Give it back!" Matchmaker cried, getting up and extending a hand up in the air as if he possibly had any chance of taking it. Chat Noir stared at him with faint humor.

"No can do. Wouldn't want to pour oil into the fire," he said, smiling. He spun the wooden staff in his hand before he continued on more seriously. "It's over. There's no point in forcing feelings on other people."

Matchmaker clenched his fists, but bowed his head. At that moment, Ladybug swung into the scene, her yoyo finding purchase on Chat Noir's lamp post and propelling her forward. His heart skipping a beat, he looked down at Ladybug with a fond smile once she landed just below him.

"I've missed you, my lady," he said in greeting, never thinking he'd be so happy to see her roll her eyes at him. After yesterday, he was afraid the blast might have robbed her of the ability to even acknowledge him.

"It looks like you took care of it on your own," she remarked. He tried not to seem too pleased. She trailed her attention to the weapon in his hands and he remembered their next course of action. He contained his nerves.

"It was a walk in the park." He shrugged, feigning nonchalance, and lowered the staff to her. He tried not to smile in relief when Ladybug reached up her hand, but the space between her fingertips and the staff never closed. Seconds passed and Chat's heart dropped when Ladybug looked away.

"Hey… Bugaboo? I think we're forgetting something," he said, trying to mask his desperation. He had anticipated this problem. He had prepared for it, even. That didn't mean he was ready to face it.

"You can't keep calling me Bugaboo, Chat Noir," she muttered, still not looking at him.

He forced himself to laugh, trying to illustrate calm.

"Why don't you tell me that after the Miraculous Cure?" he challenged. Contradictory to what he was expecting, Ladybug outright glared at him.

"I'm not casting-"

All of a sudden, a rock sailed through the sky until it knocked the staff right out of Chat's hand. He and Ladybug both gasped, and Chat Noir jerked his head towards their audience of one. The villain sprinted to catch his weapon and kept running once it was secure in his grasp. Not wasting any time, Chat Noir jumped down and pursued after him, and though he was successfully gaining on him, he froze at the scene of the fragmented statue once dedicated to him and Ladybug. He meant to only take a quick glance behind him, but the empty space reminded him that their synced maneuvers were now broken. Ladybug did not run with him. She stood back where he had left her, her arms folded together while she started to turn away.

"Wait!" he called. He abandoned his chase, deciding it wouldn't matter in the end even if he did catch up to Matchmaker. He ran to meet Ladybug instead, who waited for him without a word. When he reached her, she was stiff, her eyes staring off into the direction of the school.

At a loss, Chat Noir sifted through his head to try and elicit a response from her. A joke stirred in his head, but it was relinquished after another long look told him that the situation wasn't going to get lighter.

"Shouldn't we get back to saving Paris, my lady?" he tried with a smile. She gave no response. He reached out to touch her arm but she backed away. Stung by her response, he sighed. "Didn't you come to capture the akuma?"

He almost regretted the words as soon as that same pink color on her cheeks contrasted with the red mask right above them, just like yesterday. She did not come for the akuma. She pulled a smile and gestured to the school.

"He was in danger. I had to protect him. You understand."

He did not understand. Not in this context. What he did understand was Ladybug was not merely distracted from capturing the akuma- she was actively avoiding it. He tried not to lose heart at his confirmed fear and fell back on his plan from that morning. He plastered on a grin and sent Ladybug a dubious look.

"Oh really? Because I've discovered you might not be the only lovebug in Nathanael's life," he began, watching her reaction. Stunned stiff by the words, she gave him a skeptical look.

"What are you trying to say?"

"You're not the only one Nathanael likes. Apparently he has it bad for two people at once. Anyway, there's this other girl. Marinette. You know Marinette, right, my la…" He faltered with his statement when Ladybug skeptical gaze became entirely blank. "Uh, well, she's really beautiful, smart, sweet..." Still no response. He could begin to hear his pulse in his ears. His plan to make her jealous enough to relinquish her love wasn't working, and he tried not to wilt under her gaze. He cleared his throat. "Of course, you're the only one for me, Bugaboo."

"What did I say about Bugaboo?" the girl asked finally, pressing a hand to her temple with a groan. She sent a pointed glare at her partner before turning around. "Look, I'll purify his akuma next time, but I'm not casting the Miraculous Cure. Stay out of my love life, Chat Noir. I might end up thinking you're jealous." Wearing a dry smirk, she threw her yoyo in the air and proceeded to swing out of sight.

The corner of his mouth curling in a frown, Chat Noir turned back to the direction Matchmaker left. His eyes lingered on the crumbled statue. All of a sudden, he felt terribly put out that his powers could only cause destruction.

* * *

"Um, are you sure I'm allowed up here?"

Nathanael looked out onto the streets the balcony overlooked. If his heart rate wasn't still uneven from being carried across the skies again, he might have found the view quite scenic. All he could take in was the far drop down from Marinette's balcony. It did seem like no one had seen them disappear this way, so he counted his blessings. Peering over his shoulder, he caught the pink flash that momentarily blinded him until Marinette stood before him in her red sundress once more. The pig-tailed heroine was gone in seconds.

"Well, maybe not technically, but we'll handle that later," Marinette said with a sheepish grin. It was lunch, and though Nathaniel did want to return back to school, Marinette insisted they eat lunch together first. He wasn't sure if that was still the plan when she ran off with him after the akuma attack.

"But Marinette, how will he get down?" a small voice questioned, forcing his gaze on the red figure that floated up beside her. He blinked, thinking the creature looked just like a toy. Marinette, nonchalant about the kwami's sudden appearance, breathed a laugh. It wasn't a reassuring answer.

"What is…?" Nathanael trailed off, not sure if the creature would take too kindly to being called a 'that'. The spotted creature pulled on a smile, drifting a little closer in his direction.

"My name is Tikki," she offered. The creature- Tikki- sounded sweet, but Nathanael knew he couldn't have imagined the apprehension in her eyes. Marinette, meanwhile, opened the hatch to her bedroom.

"Hi, Tikki," he said, weary. Looking past her, he saw Marinette gesturing to the opening. He decided it was best to just follow her lead and jump down like she wanted him to.

He wasn't sure whether or not he was relieved to land on the softness of her bed. Trying not to think too hard about it, he crawled over to her ladder and surveyed the room for a distraction. Nathanael had an extensive vocabulary that related to his artistic ability, but Marinette's room only brought few words to mind.

Like pink. And Adrien Agreste.

Climbing down, he tried to come up with words he could actually tie into a sentence.

"You have a big room," he commented, glancing up at Marinette after she had settled atop her bed. She hummed in answer but said nothing else to further the conversation. His eyes caught onto the one _framed_ photo of Adrien this time, and he grimaced. He tried to ignore it- he really did.

"You… uh… have a lot of pictures of Adrien in here."

He had never seen a girl move so fast. She made some sort of yelp before leaping down the ladder, knocking over the picture frame, and tearing one of the photos off her wall. It threw him for a loop, but he wasn't necessarily surprised. He had blinded himself to the fact when he liked her as Marinette, but he figured out she liked Adrien later on. It hadn't really bothered him before. It bothered him a little now.

"I'm so sorry. I don't know what I was thinking, putting all these up." One by one, the pictures fell from her wall, and Nathanael decided not to point out that her commotion made her desktop light up as well. He thought to tell her it was fine, but the words didn't make it to his throat. The room was quiet with the exception of the Adrien photos shuffling together, Tikki having disappeared when he wasn't looking.

His mind was sent back to the glare Chat Noir sent him at the park. Nathanael had deciphered the jealousy without question, and he felt a little guilty to be alone with Marinette in her bedroom (aside from Tikki, if she counted). More than that, however, he was confused.

"Aren't you- I mean, weren't you dating Chat Noir?"

Marinette turned her head and raised a brow as if he had said the most absurd thing in the world.

" _Chat Noir_? " she repeated. "Why would you even think that?" She almost sounded hurt. Nathanael tried to ascertain whether it was the magic talking or if she was telling the truth. Most Parisians assumed the two were a couple. It wasn't hard to imagine with how close the pair seemed and the multiple sightings of them flirting with each other. The raw anger in Chat's eyes was the most telling thing Nathanael had seen yet. The boy had been surprised when the hero simply dismissed them with a wave of the hand.

"At the park, when we saw him, he didn't seem very happy to see me with you."

If Ladybug truly didn't have feelings for Chat Noir, Nathanael wondered what luck of the draw made him the one she requited feelings for- the boy who admired her from the distance and safety of his sketchbook. Being with Ladybug was like a dream. He never considered it could be a reality. Chat Noir, needless to say, was different.

To his shock, Marinette just laughed, dismissing what he said while tossing the photos of Adrien in her garbage can.

"You're imagining it. Chat Noir doesn't even know I'm Ladybug."

Nathanael didn't even have time to process those words when Marinette wrapped her arms around his neck. He wished he could stop blushing whenever she came so close, but it seemed like a losing game. Their lips were already level and Nathanael had to remind himself that everything was magic.

"I don't want to talk about Adrien or Chat Noir. You're the one I love, Nathanael."

Her eyes were so cerulean and sincere and overpowering. He avoided them, knowing he should pull away from her altogether, but not finding the willpower to leave. His fingers fiddled with the fabric of her dress, just underneath her waist. He didn't expect the innocent contact to be met with a sigh. The heat spread to his ears.

"Marinette. This is magic. You know that, right?"

So intensely focused on the blank space of her desk, Nathanael didn't realize what was happening until her soft and pliable lips warmed his. She had stepped forward, forcing him back a step as one of her hands rose from his neck to his hair. His heart fluttered in his chest, the kiss inspiring a sort of adrenaline to run through him, but soon he found himself kissing her back helplessly. It wasn't a long kiss, but it was enough to leave him breathless when she pulled away. His grip on her dress loosened.

"I know. I don't care."


	4. Chapter 4

When lunch was about to end, Marinette and Nathanael were safely back in class. Nathanael had gone in first, and when Marinette entered in minutes later, she couldn't help but look up at him. The redhead very pointedly ignored her gaze, and she suppressed her pout. Nathanael made her agree that it wouldn't be good if people connected her to Ladybug because of her affiliation with him. He said they would have to be a secret, and Marinette figured there wasn't much damage control to be done after only being seen with him for a minute as her civilian self.

The unrelenting curiosity that emanated off her best friend told her otherwise.

"Hey, Alya," she greeted with a nervous wave. The journalist's eyes burned with a fury beneath her glasses, and Marinette knew she would be in for it. Marinette turned herself in for investigation by sitting at the desk, nodding in thanks when Alya wordlessly handed over the pink bag she had forgotten. To her shock, concern replaced her friend's demeanor.

"Matchmaker really got you, girl. Are you feeling okay?" she asked, placing a hand on Marinette's shoulder. Marinette stiffened when Alya sent a glare in Nathanael's direction. "He didn't do anything to you, did he?" Alya didn't bother to lower her voice, threats concealed in the venom of her voice. Nathanael did a good job of pretending to be oblivious. Marinette vigorously shook her head and splayed her hand as if to stop her thoughts.

"No, no! It wasn't like that at all! You know he wouldn't do that!" She waited for Alya to soften at her insistence. It took a while, but eventually she relaxed. "No... Nathanael actually turned me down. You know, with, um…." She grasped for words, trying to explain how he promised to be public with Ladybug instead. It couldn't be helped since Alya had very helpfully supplied footage of Ladybug getting hit by Matchmaker and running over to Nathanael.

Despite this, Marinette thanked whatever luck that surpassed Ladybug's to bring her a best friend like Alya. The girl seemed to catch her meaning, though she didn't seem too pleased.

"I guess it is hard to compete with Ladybug, isn't it?" She sighed, but then squeezed the smaller girl's shoulder with a confident grin. "Don't worry, Marinette. This will all be fixed soon enough, and you'll be back to swooning over Adrien in no time." Alya shot her a wink. Marinette smiled, knowing her friend meant well, but the name Adrien made her feel nothing. In fact, she felt... empty.

"Did you say something?" Adrien asked as he stepped through the door. Marinette blinked up at him, but said nothing in reply. Instead of so many feelings locking up her throat, she felt incredibly passive. She smiled to be polite and shook her head, though she did take note that Adrien's eyes had stayed on her for longer than necessary.

It was weird to think back to when Marinette had hastily pulled down all her photos of Adrien. She tossed them without regret, but she really did find herself at a loss when she thought about why she had put them up in the first place. She knew she had liked him before Nathanael. It was fact. Even so, the mention of him made her feel like she was facing a steel wall. All her explanations for liking him and her past favorite details about him evaporated when she tried to summon them.

Facing him now gave her the same mechanical feeling as interacting with Chat Noir.

"Not really. We were just talking about how Nathanael turned Marinette down."

Adrien sent them a funny look but continued to sit down at his desk in front of them regardless.

"Is that so," he commented, unconvinced.

"Right? Who would turn down Marinette?" Alya joked, nudging her best friend. "By the way, did you see Matchmaker today? Can you believe Ladybug just _left_ like that? Chat Noir must be heartbroken."

Marinette leaned her chin in her hand and waited for class to start. Tikki reprimanded her enough about leaving the akuma since last night, but she couldn't muster up the energy to care. No one was getting hurt and she had other things to worry about. She smiled at the memory of lunch with Nathanael, and everything else was too easy to brush off.

* * *

Night fell. Matchmaker didn't plot another attack for the rest of the day, and Chat Noir hoped it would remain that way. He skulked in the shadows as he darted between buildings, and out of habit he would occasionally open his baton to stare at the black screen that normally showed Ladybug. Being a superhero had never felt as lonely as it had in the last two days, but Adrien didn't let that stop him from transforming and charging out into the night. He was grateful the photoshoots were more spaced out this month than they had been for a long while. The sun had only just set when he left the mansion to scour for Nathanael.

He stopped within the alleyway that was attached to his main destination. Multiple reporters had stopped by the street where he lived, but his family was good at keeping the door shut. Like at school, Nathanael was careful to keep out of sight unless he was given no choice in the classroom. If what was said about him turning down Marinette for Ladybug was to be believed, however, the boy had to eventually come out to meet the said heroine.

Chat Noir hadn't waited thirty minutes when the redhead walked down the street with his hands hidden in a hoodie. His night-vision coupled with the spaced out lampposts made it a simple chore to recognize him. Bracing himself for the worst, he tightened his fist around his weapon before calling out into the darkness.

"Nathanael. Over here."

The boy paused mid-step, confused. It wasn't until Chat Noir stepped out into dim lighting that he seemed to realize who was calling him. Nathanael hesitated, not eager to see the cat so unannounced, but he walked over anyway. Chat Noir blinked in surprise when he saw how tense Nathanael was. He hadn't expected him to be nervous.

"I didn't expect to see you here," he admitted.

"Someone has to protect Paris, right?" Chat Noir smiled and shrugged, trying to start the conversation on a good note. He wasn't sure how he felt about intimidating someone whose only crime was getting caught up in the effects of an akuma. He didn't necessarily dislike Nathanael. "I think you know why I'm here."

"You want me to stop talking to Ladybug?" he guessed quietly.

The sentence appealed to Chat Noir, but he forced the smile to stay on his face.

"Not quite. I want you to convince Ladybug to use the Miraculous Charm."

It seemed like the best request to make. It was only asking her to follow her duty to Paris, something she believed so strongly in she refused to reveal her real identity to him. It was reasonable.

"You're asking me to tell Ladybug to fall out of love with me." Nathanael reworded, the nerves gone and his turquoise eyes firm.

The smile faltered. Chat Noir wondered if he'd have the willpower to do the same in the artist's shoes. He imagined his lady smiling up at him with love in her eyes and a blush on her face, returning his advances at last. But the idea of it being fake resonated with him hollowly. It would never be worth it. Like the day he fought himself to close the door on her transformation so long ago, he knew he couldn't bring himself to go against Ladybug's feelings. He would do it in a heartbeat. That didn't mean it wouldn't hurt.

"Look, I know what I'm asking, but-"

"No. That's not what I mean. Even if I ask, she won't want to do it," Nathanael clarified. Chat Noir folded his arms, hardly considering his words.

"Try. Please. Just try."

To his frustration, Nathanael sighed, but the boy didn't protest further. The two stood across from each other for an awkward few seconds, until finally Nathanael started to walk away. Chat Noir hoped beyond hope that the method worked. He didn't know what else he could do. He thought his work for tonight was done when Nathanael paused, still only a few paces away.

"Hey, Chat Noir," he started. The black ears on top of the blonde tufts of hair twitched, but there was a long stretch of silence before the boy continued. Chat Noir raised a brow until he spoke again. "Ladybug probably likes you back underneath all that magic. At least a little."

It took a while for the words to sink in. The sentiment blew Adrien's eyes wide open while the other's shoulders slumped in defeat. Speechless, Chat Noir struggled to come up with a response to that. Fortunately, the boy hadn't bothered to wait for words, and just a minute later he was gone.

Frozen in the same spot, Chat Noir looked up into the sky as clouds started to loom over the moon. He wasn't sure how to take those last few words- he probably should have asked how Nathanael knew- but he couldn't deny that the possibility of Ladybug being interested in him put a warm smile on his face. When he heard her yoyo swing to the frame of a nearby rooftop, Chat Noir wasn't even surprised. He turned his head when she landed feet across from him.

"Looking for me, my lady?" he asked cheerfully, still turning the idea of her liking him in his head.

Her eyes were as cold as stone and as cutting as marble.

"I heard you," she accused in a low voice, but not so low he couldn't hear her. He took a step towards her and she stepped back, betrayal clear on her face. "I told you to stay out of my love life. I said I'd take care of Matchmaker, but you went out of your way to corner _Nathanael_?" She grit her teeth and threw her arms out in exasperation. Chat Noir rested his hands on his hips.

"I thought we had a rather _nice_ conversation," he quipped, the smile returning. "You know I'm just looking out for you."

"I can look out for myself, Chat Noir," she retorted, walking up to him and jabbing a finger to his chest. The indignified horror on her face only grew when he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"What's wrong, Bugaboo? Afraid of falling for me again?" he teased. She slapped his hand off her shoulder and glared. For a second he seemed sullen.

"That was obviously not true. Why do you even care anyway? We both know you don't really like me that way," She turned to distance herself from him, but he gripped onto her wrist out of instinct. Her large blue eyes stared at him with disbelief, but he didn't find the strength to release her.

"Do we really know that?" he asked her in a low voice, his gaze unrelenting. She tugged her wrist away and balked.

"But it's not serious," she countered.

"It's not?" He challenged her to question herself. She had been domineering at first, but the longer he watched her, uncertainty made her waver. He stepped closer to her again, this time with his mouth curling with dissatisfaction. "Ladybug, did you honestly think I've been joking this entire time?"

A raindrop fell on his nose. They both looked up, and it wasn't until a few seconds later that the droplets became visible enough to be a sprinkle. Rain peppered the cobblestone streets and they both knew it wouldn't be much longer until the light drizzle became a steady shower. Ladybug tensed, and Chat Noir grimaced when he saw she was no longer looking at him, but looking past him.

"Oh no! Nathanael is waiting for me!" she cried out, pulling out her yoyo and scanning for an exit.

"Ladybug," he deadpanned. She spared him a tired glance.

"Sorry, Chat Noir, but you have terrible timing. My heart belongs to Nathanael, and only Nathanael." Despite her words, Chat Noir donned a smile.

"That's okay, my lady. I'll get back to you when you aren't possessed by an evil love spell," he said with a wink, leaning forward with his hands clasped behind his back in a polite fashion. The most it earned him was an irritated huff

" _Goodnight_ , Chat Noir."


	5. Chapter 5

AN: Long chapter ahead. Longer* anyway.

* * *

The model's fingers drummed against the desk, the thrumming of his heart in sync with the dull patter against the wood. It was a new morning in Paris, but the blonde was stuck on the events of last night. His forest eyes flitted to the classroom door every so often, although he knew the redhead wouldn't make his appearance until the last minute before class started. His mind danced in between memories: the choreographed steps of conversation when he attempted to persuade Nathanael; the exhilarating spin at the mere thought of Ladybug loving him, at long last; the slowing finish when he realized just how far away that Ladybug was trapped beneath the magic. The dance ended at the memory of his conversation with Plagg later that night, where the kwami's words inspired the anxiousness that coursed through him now.

" _Do you think he'll manage to convince her?"_ Adrien had asked back then, looking out his tall bedroom windows. The rain blurred the lights of the city, but he knew the weather wouldn't stop the couple's inevitable meeting. By then, Ladybug and Nathanael were probably already together. Floating behind Adrien's shoulder, Plagg threw his wedge of camembert up in the air, gorging himself with a greedy swallow the second it landed in his mouth. Unaffected by the teenager's constant fretting, Plagg burped in his usual crude fashion; the sheer volume of it would have made Nathalie groan with disapproval.

" _Who's to say he'll bother in the first place?"_ the kwami drawled, his sardonic eyes flashing in the dimly lit confines of the bedroom. " _He has the perfect reason not to try after Ladybug caught you last night._ " Adrien's narrowed eyes lowered to the ground in thought, unwilling to admit Plagg had a point. There was really no way of knowing whether Nathanael would keep his word.

Which was why Adrien had rushed to the school as early as was considered reasonable. He needed a sign; a look of admittance; a conversation; _anything_ he could gather from Nathanael to know the message was delivered. Unfortunately, Adrien hadn't stopped to remember that Nathanael made it a point to avoid people ever since the video of Ladybug running off with him. There was no way he would show up with plenty of time available to question him. The result left him alone in the classroom with a whole forty-five minutes before class would start. Almost alone, anyway.

"Why didn't you tell me this would happen?" Adrien asked with a long sigh, looking down at the spoiled creature who seemed to be in perfect bliss, lying down in the open container of camembert with cheese crumbs around him. Adrien crinkled his nose in disgust and hoped the time between him putting it away and class starting would air out the smell. For someone who embodied bad luck, Plagg sure was opportunistic enough to counter its effects. Plagg never let on to having a bad day in his life, indulging in all the advantages belonging to a rich chosen had to offer. Somehow, though, the two shared a close bond for all the differences in their temperaments.

"Like this is any worse than sitting at that stuffy room eating what you call food," Plagg countered. The corner of Adrien's lips tugged up in a wry smile.

"You're not the one who skipped breakfast to-"

In the middle of his words, the door clicked open, and Plagg looked up from his container before breathing an inaudible sigh. Adrien gripped on the edges of his seat while Plagg disappeared into his bag, amazed to see always-running-in-last-minute-if-not-later Marinette emerge from the doorway. She was more casual compared to yesterday, though the fashion-designer never was without a little flair, her black long-sleeve coupled with a pastel pink skirt. The pigtails made their return too, and Adrien didn't find any complaints. The style frequently reminded him of his lady. Her sky blue eyes found his and he tried not to look out of place.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, walking up to his desk with unmasked confusion. Adrien placed a hand on his forearm and avoided her eyes with a nervous grin.

"I just wanted to get out of the house," he said. He focused on the brown pastry bag she carried. He had grown far too attached to her parent's baking to not recognize it. "What about you?" he diverted, returning his attention to her. She jolted under the question.

"Me? Oh, I- this is- that is to say-" She cut off in the middle of her stammering and sighed. She resigned with a guilty grin. "I wanted to bring breakfast for Nathanael." She walked to her desk, placing down her school bag. Adrien's face twisted with uncertainty.

"Didn't he reject you?" he asked. Marinette froze, her movements stalling until her mind caught up with his words. When it did, she smoothed down her skirt.

"That's true, but…" She looked to Adrien as she tried to find words, but the silence between them was broken by the elongated growl that broke from his stomach. Being raised to be the proper boy he was, his cheeks were tinged the faintest red while he attempted to laugh it off.

"Sorry, I didn't eat this morning," he admitted. Marinette pursed her lips, processing his words before her eyes drifted down to the nearly-empty wheel by his desk.

"Weren't you eating… um…" She laughed once as her eyes seemed to decipher the name. "Camembert? For breakfast?"

Realizing her assumption, Adrien hastily covered the container and tossed it in his bag. He personally hoped it hit Plagg on the head.

"It's for a friend. I hate camembert."

He could tell by the skepticism on her face that she didn't fully buy it, but she didn't press him. She looked down at her bag, deliberating, before pulling out a croissant and offering it to him. Adrien couldn't stop the smile that spread on his face at just the _smell_ of it. He reached for it before remembering himself and glancing up at her.

"Are you sure?"

She rolled her eyes. The sight was too familiar considering Marinette had never done it in front of him before. The smile on her face told him it was okay, and he smiled back before taking it; one bite and the buttery softness had him grateful he missed breakfast that morning. He hummed appreciatively.

"You're great, Marinette." He looked up but she had already turned away to walk to the back of the room. The girl placed the bag of treats on the spot where Nathanael would later sit and smiled to herself in that goofy manner he had seen plenty of times before. It seemed odd in this scenario, and he couldn't pick out why. He also didn't like the irritation that appeared out of nowhere. He told himself it was because he was watching the effects of Matchmaker, even though the thought of her feelings being real still dug at him.

She returned to her seat and held idle conversation with him for the next few minutes. Throughout it all, Adrien continuously thought something was off. She would look to the wall with a placid expression while he faced her, and when he finally did manage to hold eye contact with her, he found himself searching her eyes. There was something missing there, too. Even in the initial stages of their friendship when Marinette couldn't seem to form a sentence around him, she had never seemed so… closed off.

"Are you okay?" The words bubbled up without context. Adrien realized his abruptness when her brow furrowed. He tried to smooth it over with a smile, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's just, you seem different today," he explained. "I thought something might be wrong."

To his relief, she smiled, but the usual spark in her eyes remained nonexistent.

"There is nothing wrong, I promise," she assured him, and Adrien was left no choice but to believe her.

It was later in the morning that Adrien found the indescribable energy he had been looking for. It wasn't with Alya, although she did brighten the girl's mood considerably. It wasn't when Nino arrived either, even when he immersed all four of them into conversation. No matter how they all smiled or laughed together, Marinette still wasn't the same, and Adrien thought Alya and Nino were crazy not to notice it.

Then Adrien finally saw it, catching Marinette light up all at once out of the corners of his eyes. It happened when Nathanael entered the classroom, which Marinette immediately took notice of. Her eyes danced with delight when she piped up a quick hello. Her whole demeanor was charged with a giddy atmosphere when she glanced back to see if Nathanael noticed her present. The smile on her face was different to all the others she shared, although they were already so friendly and encouraging. This affectionate smile- this _everything_ \- was unique.

The model swallowed, drawing his gaze away from Marinette to his lap. Questions swarmed his head and he wasn't sure what to think when he made the connection. Surely he was deluding himself.

 _That_ was the way she had been looking at Adrien all this time.

* * *

Nathanael couldn't remember becoming particularly friendly with Adrien Agreste. So his perplexity was justified when he couldn't seem to shake the celebrity away from his side. Adrien stayed in the classroom to eat lunch with him, or rather, Adrien stayed in the classroom to watch him eat lunch.

The redhead pulled out the quiche Marinette had packed in with his surprise breakfast (never-minding the fact he already had breakfast), and he smiled in spite of himself. He reminded her last night they couldn't be together in school, so the way she managed to discreetly display her affection for him made him melt. The gesture made him wish he could find her and hold her hands and kiss her.

...And he wasn't going to think about that in front of Adrien Agreste.

The thought that his face once decorated Marinette's bedroom walls already unsettled him. Nathanael thought the model had to be abnormally oblivious to not notice how his friend admired him, but he'd be lying if he said he wasn't relieved. It didn't help that Adrien seemed to be his opposite: a model who charmed everyone he met and seemed to like everybody. Even Chloe, for some reason.

"Marinette's parents make the best food," his new companion commented casually, sitting one row down from Nathanael. Nathanael was stunned that he knew where it was from until he remembered the bag had the logo on it. "It's too bad you're with Ladybug."

Just that fast, Nathanael caught onto the trend. Ladybug was all people seemed to want to talk to him about for the past two days.

"Yeah," he answered simply, not sure if he should voice his suspicion. He began eating his quiche. The hesitant glance Adrien sent him made him aware he wasn't being exactly conversational, but he didn't know what else there was to say.

"What's it like being with Ladybug?" Adrien asked. Images of last night flashed through Nathanael's head, but he tried to keep his face passive.

"It's different. I didn't know you cared so much about Ladybug though."

For a second, Adrien's eyes were indecipherable. The model recovered himself, however, and pushed forward.

"Well, I met her a few times. She saved my father once and it's hard not to admire her after that, and she's super smart too." His smile softened in a way that could fool absolutely no one and Nathanael recognized it went deeper than just admiring. Adrien had a crush on Ladybug, and Nathanael found it uncomfortably ironic how close the model had come to dating the superheroine.

"She is," Nathanael agreed. "She's really affectionate too. It's hard not to love her."

It wasn't until after he said it that he saw the implications of his words. Adrien caught it too, and for a moment, there was a flicker of an all too familiar hostility on his forever-polite face. Like Chat Noir at the park. Adrien lowered his head, and Nathanael disregarded the ridiculous comparison. What he did know was this conversation was going to drag on unless Nathanael either left or cut the conversation short. He finished the last of his meal and skipped to the point.

"Was there something specific you wanted to ask?"

The boy looked back up at him as if Nathanael gave him the perfect opportunity, yet he was still conflicted. He opened his mouth to speak and closed it before words came out. It took another moment before he was ready to come out with it.

"I want to know if you're trying to get Ladybug to help save Paris." Nathanael frowned. He knew people blamed him for Ladybug staying out of commission- it wasn't just Chat Noir. Before he prepared to answer, Adrien rushed more words out, as if the brief lapse had made him nervous. "It's just I have this friend who got hit by Matchmaker, and I want her to turn back to normal, and I just thought maybe you..." He trailed off and strained a smile.

"I can't control Ladybug," Nathanael answered

"Did you try to ask her?"

"I did."

"And?" His green eyes were fervent and searching, like he was waiting for the answer to be yes. Nathanael looked out the window and searched for words.

He was sent back to sitting on top of one of the beams of the Eiffel tower. One of the overhanging beams caught most of the rain, though he and Ladybug were still damp from the downpour. The water weighed down his clothes but the droplets slid off the surface of her suit. They were huddled together with their fingers interlocked, and the kiss from earlier that day had been echoing in his memory. Even so, Nathanael mustered the courage to follow his promise to Chat Noir. He blurted out the words before he could lose the nerve, and looked up to see her reaction.

Her eyes were nothing but knowing, and her words were solid when she told him no. She leaned closer and whispered about how he made her too happy to do that. The raindrops trickling down her skin seemed too dangerously like tears when he read the pain in her eyes. " _Please don't ask me that,"_ she said, gripping tighter on his hand.

Nathanael wavered, unsure how to translate the scene into an answer.

"She said no," he simplified, figuring Adrien didn't need the details.

"What if you try again?" Adrien asked, his voice urgent. Nathanael tore his eyes from the window with mild annoyance, but then he blanched. There was that Chat Noir fire in his irises again. "She _loves_ you. You must be able to get through to her. What if she never cures Paris again?" His speech carried a little too much weight, a little too much pain, and Nathanael found himself staring in disbelief. It wasn't possible. It didn't fit. His artist's eye was at work again, noting Adrien and Chat Noir shared the same shade of blonde and the same forceful manner when it came to Ladybug. Nathanael's silence spurred the boy to speak again.

"The girl you're with, she's not the real Ladybug. The real Ladybug wouldn't let a villain run loose like this and the real Ladybug-"

But all at once, the puzzle pieces started to click. It was the explanation to Matchmaker's mix-up- why Ladybug fell for Nathanael and not Chat Noir. It wasn't just that she might have been interested in her partner; it was more complicated and went a lot deeper than that.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng fell in love with her friend Adrien Agreste, and as for Adrien Agreste?

"-the real Ladybug belongs with Chat Noir."

With those last words, Adrien closed his eyes and huffed as if a weight had been released from him. When he stood, his shoulders became less rigid and his lips relaxed their tight frown. At last, Adrien opened his eyes and looked down at Nathanael, the rage replaced with rue.

"Sorry. I know you like her, but Paris is relying on you."

Nathanael could only nod.

Adrien smiled in a way that didn't meet his eyes, and left.

* * *

"You've got to help _meowt_ , princess. You can't leave all the work to me."

Marinette blinked, checking her surroundings to make sure she was in fact in school and Chat Noir was in fact leaning with one arm against her locker. Students walked past them, but no one stopped to say anything. Her eyebrows drew closer together as she tried to make sense of the ordeal.

"Me? What do you need me for? Why are you at my school?"

The hero winked, reaching for her hand and planting a kiss on the top of it.

"We have an akuma to catch, don't we, my lady?"

"You know?!" she cried out, pulling her hand away out of sheer surprise. The boy pouted, but obediently dropped his hold as soon as she did.

"I had to do a bit of hunting. You haven't been yourself in so long, Marinette."

She knew he was talking about Nathanael. She knew she was letting Paris fall victim to Matchmaker. The guilt that had been walled away for so long began to bleed through, and she shivered involuntarily. Chat, being the person he was, wrapped his arm around her in a platonic gesture only meant to comfort her. She smiled up at him appreciatively. She missed being his partner.

"I want to save Paris. I really do, but I _can't_." The words were thick with her own disappointment and she pressed her lips together with worry. Chat Noir dismissed this, leaning down to waggle his unseen eyebrows at her.

"Don't worry. I have just the thing to help."

Chat Noir cleared his throat and beckoned someone behind her line of sight. Marinette shook her head with a smile.

"What are you doing, kitty?"

"Just trust me on this, okay?" His gloved hands rested on her shoulders, and he gave her one last smile before spinning her in the opposite direction. She squeaked out in surprise when she came face to face with yet another blonde boy.

"A-Adrien?"

"Just trust me," Chat Noir repeated, whispering in her ear. Marinette's heart raced, Adrien's hand tipping her chin up to bring their faces closer together. His green, green eyes held that endless warmth he seemed to carry with him, and that same warmth emanated from his breath as his lips drew closer.

Just before their lips met, Mme. Bustier cleared her throat, just a few feet away from the three. Marinette and Adrien pulled away from each other and stared at their teacher in mutual confusion.

"Adrien, can you repeat the lesson again for me please?"

Marinette sent him a weird look when he smiled and his eyes lit up with a sudden understanding.

"That's why in most cases the prince breaks the spell by kissing the princess," he replied, confident in his answer.

"Very good, Adrien," their teacher praised, and all of a sudden Adrien's eyes were back on Marinette's. She blushed, but this time she was the one to pull him back closer to her. She closed her eyes.

When her eyes opened, Marinette was staring up at the closed entrance to her roof.

Burying her head into her cat pillow, she slowly swam out of the haze of her dream. The details were so foggy. Chat Noir was there, she could remember that, but it was taking a while to recollect the rest of it.

"Marinette, you're going to sleep through the rest of your classes," Tikki said, flying in the space above her bed. To illustrate her kwami's point, the alarm she set for the end of her lunch break started going off. She muted her phone and yawned.

"I feel like I had the weirdest dream, Tikki," she mumbled, smoothing her skirt down and climbing down her bed.

"These past few days feel like a weird dream," Tikki said with a sigh. The faint disapproval in her voice reminded her of its cause, and she remembered Nathanael sitting in the classroom. She shook her head and gave a wide smile. Brushing off the contents of her dream entirely, Marinette practically glided to the door, happy at just the opportunity to see her beloved in the afternoon.


	6. Chapter 6

When class ended, Adrien's eyes were drawn to Marinette. The girl bolted up as soon as they were dismissed, gathering her stuff in a hasty sweep. Her eyes darted after Nathanael's direction right when he started for the door, and Adrien found it odd that he initially angled his head away from her, considering how close the two had been when he found them at the park. Then Adrien caught the brief instance Nathanael allowed his eyes to meet with hers before Marinette lowered her eyes with a smile.

It was clearly only meant to be a peek, the turquoise peering out from beneath the strands of orange-red hair that swept the side of his face. The fleeting exchange formed a more subtle smile for him than his counterpart. Of course, even the tiniest traces of that happiness vanished as soon as his eyes flickered to Adrien. Neither expected to meet each other's gaze, but Adrien noticed the furrow in Nathanael's brow just before he left the classroom.

In hindsight, Adrien probably came on too strong about the Ladybug thing. A part of him felt guilty, but a larger part wondered what was going on between Nathanael and Marinette.

"Wow, you look like you're ready to run out of here," Alya commented with a hand on her hip, sensing the restless energy pulsating from her friend. Marinette sent her a pleading look but Alya sighed and shook her head. Nino joined the two girls, placing an arm on Alya's shoulder. The two managed to pull off close contact so casually- when they chose to, anyway.

"Forget about him, Marinette. How about we hang out?" Nino suggested with a wide grin. His brown eyes sought out Adrien. "You don't have anything to do today, right dude? You need to call Gorilla off and join us."

Marinette glanced back to the door, her hands twisting around her bag.

"Thanks Nino, but-"

"Yeah, I'll go too!" Adrien cut in without thinking, walking over to Marinette and placing a hand on her shoulder. "It'll be fun with all four of us." Marinette's eyes started to trail up to his face, but Adrien made it a point to smile straight at Nino and Alya. He was certain whatever expression she shot his direction would be less than pleasant.

Adrien waited for a response, but an awkward silence lapsed over the four. Nino and Alya gawked, and when Adrien's patience tapered into confusion, the couple burst into laughter.

"What are you two laughing about?" Adrien asked with an exasperated pout. Alya leaned into Nino with incessant guffaws, the most amused out of the two, while Nino had the decency to quiet into a good-natured chuckle after enough seconds had passed.

"Just- just be a model and hold that pose!" Alya managed to compose her bursting giggles into a snicker, breaking away from Nino and bringing up her cell phone. Marinette turned her head away so as to not directly face the screen, but the resistance didn't deter the superhero journalist in the least. Adrien surrendered to her whims, though the extent of his actual "modeling" was staying in position and holding onto his bemusement. He glanced down during the shots to see a rather dissatisfied Marinette, her lips pursed and her eyes like steel. He dropped his hand from her shoulder and wondered- for not the first time that day- if he somehow connected the facts in some wrong order. Maybe he had jumped to conclusions earlier. Lunchtime already proved his thinking wasn't at its best state for the time being.

"So why the pictures?" Adrien asked Alya, walking over to her and looking over her shoulder. With one glance, even he couldn't help but smile. On Alya's phone were portraits of the pair from the waists up, each contrasting the other in a comical sort of fashion. He supposed he looked acceptable, standing upright and wearing the beginnings of a smile. It was his partner who was the real subject of the photo though, or more accurately, it was the adorable scowl on Marinette's face. She looked as if she would rather be anywhere else, which probably wasn't too far from the truth.

"I thought she might enjoy seeing these once Matchmaker's defeated."

If it had been yesterday, Adrien might not have seen the point of sharing a photo of the two together, and especially not ones with the faces Marinette had been making. Yet things were not as they were yesterday, and Adrien could now guess why Alya found it so hilarious for Marinette to be so uncordial towards him. The humored smile on Alya's face as she put away her phone made his conclusion much more real to him.

Marinette had a crush on him- the key word being 'had'.

"Cheer up, Marinette! We'll have so much fun today I bet you'll be falling for me instead," Alya joked, nudging Marinette with her shoulder. The girl rolled her eyes but smiled as Alya guided her out the door. Adrien lingered behind, watching her leave before remembering himself and collecting his bag..

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say Matchmaker got you too, bro."

"What?" Looking up, Adrien found Nino watching him, his brown eyes glinting with wonder behind his glasses. Adrien shook his head. "Let's go. Aren't we following them?"

Nino nodded, but they had only just passed the door when he spoke up again.

"So… Don't you think you're looking at Marinette a little too much lately?" His voice was smug, and Adrien was embarrassed to know he had been that obvious.

"I…" He hesitated, not sure what there was to tell. Nino gave him all his attention, and Adrien figured it was best to be direct with him. "I think Marinette likes me."

Adrien waited for his statement to sink in, but he didn't expect Nino to break into laughter again. The blonde glared, believing the response to be ridicule.

"You _think_ Marinette likes you? Man, if you think this is her liking you now, then what were you thinking for the past year?" Nino shook his head with amazement, sticking his hands in his pockets as they continued to walk through the school building. Adrien frowned.

"I don't mean _now_ obviously. I meant- Wait. You knew?" Adrien gaped, and Nino sent a guilty grin in reply. The model heaved a great sigh. Had he really been so oblivious to be the last to know? They paused right before the doors to the school entrance, both of them taking note of the two girls waiting for them at the bottom of the school steps. Nino turned to him, his eyes eager.

"You like her too then?"

Adrien didn't answer right away. He looked back to the girls outside, Alya grimacing and Marinette talking with a dreamy far-away look in her eyes. It wasn't hard to guess what- or who- they were talking about. Adrien felt that dig in his gut again when he thought it could have been him they were talking about instead of Nathanael.

Adrien didn't want to acknowledge it as jealousy. He loved Ladybug without question. He could even write poems and essays about why he loved her, and with everything that was going on, there was especially no way he would reconsider who he gave his heart to now. Maybe he was upset that a nice girl like Marinette was affected by an akuma like this, or maybe he was angry that just liking Ladybug wasn't enough for Nathanael. Maybe. A hundred other reasons could be drawn for why he always hated the idea of Marinette and Nathanael liking each other, and none of them had to be jealousy.

Except, nothing else explained the spread of warmth in his chest when he imagined Marinette enthusing about him like that instead.

Adrien lowered his gaze.

"I like someone else, Nino."

It was an answer that he knew he would get a lot of hell for later, so Adrien flashed a sheepish smile and sped down the outside steps.

* * *

The four friends left the cinema with a buzz of chatter encasing them. They shared smiles and comments on the film while walking into the city streets, everything painted a rich orange hue. In the distance, the sun set behind the Eiffel Tower, its tip lighting up the already darkening sky. Nino and Adrien were going on about one of the scenes, while Alya was comparing one of the characters to how she imagined Ladybug would be behind the mask. Marinette might have been amused at the irony, but although she did enjoy the spur of the moment outing with her friends, she found her eyes glancing down at her cell phone with each passing minute.

[ 4:41 ] _Don't worry :) I don't mind waiting to see you_

[ 4:41 ] _**You're so sweet. I've already waited all day to talk to you**_

[ 5:03 ] _**I'll be in the cinema. I'll message you as soon as I'm done!**_

[ 5:05 ] _I'll be waiting._ _Are you going with Alya?_

[ 5:07 ] _**and Nino and Adrien. You can come too (heart emoji)**_

[ 5:10 ] _**Sorry. I know we shouldn't**_

[ 5:55 ] _Marinette, I've been thinking_

[ 6:00 ] _Have you ever considered telling Chat Noir who you are_

[ 6:04 ] _You don't have to answer that. I was just curious_

[ 6:32 ] _There's something I want to talk to you about as soon as you're free_

[ 6:33 ] _It's nothing bad_

[ 7:07 ] _**Are you sure everything is ok? I'm done now and I wanna see you (heart emoji)**_

[ 7:17 ] _**Should I stop by as LB?**_

Minutes kept passing. Marinette slowed in her steps, biting her bottom lip and debating whether she should send another text like she wanted to the minute before and the minute before that. Her thumb hovered over her phone and she tried to relax her wild heartbeat. Nathanael might have been distracted. It wouldn't be unlike him to lose himself in a drawing, and she tried to comfort herself with the image. It was then another figure loomed in front of her, and Marinette stopped before she would crash into Adrien's chest.

"Nino and Alya left to grab drinks. Did you want something?" She turned her head up, and she found questions that were a little too curious to just know whether she wanted a drink. She shook her head, and it didn't surprise her when he continued to stand in place. His eyes flickered to her phone and she pulled it closer to her chest.

"Sorry," Adrien said, though he didn't seem too abashed. "Are you talking to Nathanael?"

Marinette's lips grew tight, unsure whether it was safe to share that small truth. In return, Adrien gave her an odd sort of smile, small and knowing. Against her better judgement, she gave in.

"Maybe."

"But he's seeing Ladybug, isn't he?" Despite his words, he didn't seem surprised.

"We can still be friends."

To her chagrin, Adrien was nothing but skeptical, and he made no motion to hide it either. Marinette kept her silence, knowing there was nothing that could counter his suspicions. At last, he relaxed with a resigned sigh.

"Alright, I believe you. But only because I still owe you for that croissant." Adrien's smile became more natural, and Marinette felt herself relax, too. His smiles always had been encouraging and reassuring. It was one of the things she used to like about him, she remembered vaguely. "Are you sure you don't want anything? I can get some food too if you want."

Marinette smiled.

"You're not offering me the popcorn you were shoveling into your bag?" To her amusement, the boy's smile was wiped off his face, replaced with a flash of embarrassment followed up by a nervous shrug.

"Uh, that was for my friend?" he tried, rubbing his neck.

"Not everyone eats popcorn out of a school bag like you eat caramel poured from a villain, Adrien." She giggled at the memory, recalling how she had been so stunned someone as perfect as Adrien would do such a thing. Her companion blinked, as if startled she remembered such an old detail, until a smirk tugged on his features.

"I've gotten myself in stickier situations."

Marinette rolled her eyes but smiled, which only served to make him prouder of himself. Walking past him, she scanned the area before she looked back at Adrien over her shoulder.

"Speaking of sticky situations, how far did those two go?"

Adrien had only opened his mouth to answer when shrill screams sounded behind her. The whites of his eyes seemed larger when he stared up at the scene taking place, and before she could check for herself, the wind was knocked out of her. The two simultaneous impacts rattled her, as she knocked into Adrien's chest and the fire blasted into the ground she once stood on. Gasping, she grasped the shirt of her rescuer, who had tugged her into safety and cradled her head from the blow. He loosened his hold the same time Marinette turned her head to acknowledge Matchmaker.

"Where's Ladybug?" the villain snarled, his red hair more wild than it had been and the glow at the top of his wooden staff brighter. "I know you're out there!"

"Marinette, you need to run to safety!" Adrien urged, letting go of her only to recapture her hand. Marinette followed his lead through the streets, though she didn't fear the wild fire blasts. Strangely neither did Adrien seem to. It wasn't until she heard Matchmaker's next words that her blood ran cold.

"If you want to see your precious lover again, you better hurry, Ladybug!"

All at once, Marinette's legs became concrete, melding with the ground with such an abrupt force that Adrien was the one who was pulled back from the sudden stop. Their eyes locked together for no longer than a second, hers determined and his afraid, but they both conveyed a certain understanding for what would happen next. Marinette yanked her hand free from his grasp.

"Leave this to the heroes, Marinette!" Adrien reached his hand out for her, every part of him pleading for her to change her mind as the orange flames flying through the city reflected in his green eyes.

She gave a wry smile before taking off into the opposite direction.


	7. Chapter 7

Marinette had somehow already managed to disappear from his sight, even when Adrien transformed into Chat Noir and scaled the rooftops not a full minute after they separated. He darted his gaze left and right in a desperate search for dark-haired pigtails, but to no avail. Instead he had Parisians widening their eyes when they noticed him, several of them calling his name with glee and others pointing fingers.

Chat Noir grimaced mid-run, wondering why no one seemed to think that maybe they shouldn't announce his presence to a previously distracted supervillain.

Matchmaker's assault halted at once. The wiry young man redirected the tip of his staff with a wide smile, and Chat Noir scrambled to jump to the next rooftop on all four limbs. Behind him, the fire crashed against the tiled roof before dissipating. Matchmaker held his chin high as he stood in the middle of the street, confident in the midst of all the chaos that took place in his wake.

"Why don't you come and face me, scaredy-cat? Or are you only good with dirty tricks?"

Chat Noir was left to stare at his opponent with blatant incredulity. The villain who specialized in manipulating feelings was getting onto _him_ about dirty tricks. Matchmaker hurled another blast his way and Chat Noir dropped to the ground, his metallic staff gleaming under the light of a lamppost. He twirled it before letting it hit the ground for him to lean on.

"Let's skip the game of cat and mouse, and just tell me where you left the boy." The comedic airiness that was usually in the cat's repertoire was gone, his words a demand and his visage firm. Matchmaker laughed.

"That's a message for Ladybug's ears only," he crooned. At the end of the street, a familiar newscast jingle picked up volume as Nadja Chamack appeared on the side of the screen.

" _A boy has just been located on top of the Notre Dame. Our sources have not been able to indicate whether the incident relates with the current attack but the victim has been identified as Nathanael_ -" Chat Noir focused on the footage of a boy's short frame suspended onto the spire of the grand architecture, and though the shot was taken from too far away for anyone to get a good look of the captive's face, the unique shade of hair was a dead giveaway. Tearing his eyes away from the public broadcast, he cast Matchmaker a smirk.

"You were saying?"

A frustrated roar erupted from Matchmaker, fire shooting up into the sky in the same moment he stomped his foot, and he took off running from the scene. Chat Noir hesitated to follow, checking his surroundings one last time in case Marinette had turned up when he wasn't looking. There was no trace of her. He frowned, and raced off to the Notre Dame.

* * *

When Nathanael thought about it, he supposed kidnapping came with the role description of dating a superhero.

Still, staring down at the crowds of people who were watching him from far below made him swallow in fear and tremble beneath his bonds. Matchmaker had coiled rings of heatless flame around him- a skill Nathanael hadn't realized he possessed- and Nathanael didn't know if it was even smart to try and break loose from them. Another second of examining the tiny specks of red and blue police lights reconfirmed just how far the gap stretched between him and solid ground. He redirected his attention and decided his best option was to stay put.

After all, Nathanael was confident in the fact Ladybug always won, and saving captives from tall places wouldn't be new on her list of accomplishes. He fixed his line of sight on the night sky, trying to fool himself that everything was okay. People from below shouted and screamed from below him, and while he was sure most of it was their fear for him, he couldn't help but wonder if some were blaming him. His hands clenched into fists as the thought resonated with him. It was his own fault, after all, wasn't it?

Maybe he deserved to be up there.

It was then he caught sight of a flash of red in the distance, darting from the tops of buildings and swinging up with the pulls of reaching wires. His eyes widened as the anomaly became more human: the indistinct blur shaped into a young woman, the red came with black spots, and the face of Paris's favorite superheroine was looking straight at him.

 _Ladybug._

"Nathanael!" Her voice carried through the air to reach him where her hands could not, and relief washed over both of their faces once she landed on one of the towers of the cathedral. He tried to smile, but a nervous laughter bubbled out of him against his will.

"I think I preferred the comics where I was the one rescuing you." Ladybug swung her yoyo to the cross above him, and when she landed on the narrow surface just beneath him, he was able to hear her soft giggle. He smiled down at her, wishing his hand was free to caress her face while it was just below his own.

"I can still call you Super Nathan, if you like," she commented with a wink, reaching up for the coil. He had a feeling as soon as she touched the flames, but he was disappointed anyway when she was unable to draw them off him. There was nothing to untie and there was no adequate means at their disposal to cut through magic. Instead of disappointment, Ladybug seemed shocked, looking up at him as if she hadn't realized there was no way for her to rescue him without dealing with Matchmaker herself.

"Ladybug… You need to-" He snapped his mouth shut as soon as she held a finger to his lips.

"No. I can fix this." She lowered her arm and looked away, one hand gripped on her yoyo. She bit her lip, deliberating, until finally the eyebrows underneath her mask drew together in an expression of absolute resolution. Nathanael cocked his head in question, while Ladybug threw her yoyo in the air.

"Lucky Charm!"

Needless to say, neither of them expected the spotted red video-camera that dropped into her hands. She focused on her surroundings, mapping out a plausible solution as she often did, but the frown on her face told him she wasn't coming up with anything. Eventually she groaned and attached the camera to her hip. Nathanael smiled at her honest attempt anyway, the girl hanging her head and finding solace in the space of his neck.

"I'll have to find Matchmaker, but I'll save you, I promise."

The power in her words comforted him. She parted only to meet his eyes again, the irises colored with unquestionable love and devotion. Nathanael felt his heart squeeze when he knew that soon he'd never see that look again- never at him.

"Will you cast the cure?" He attempted to keep his smile placid in the face of Ladybug's frown.

"No. I'll find another way." Her fingers laced with his.

"But what if I want you to?" Though he braced himself for it, he deflated upon seeing the hurt in her eyes. She looked down at herself and Nathanael felt an ache in his chest; she was wondering what she did. "No, Marinette. Look at me." He waited until she did. Her eyes glistened with the threat of tears. "These past few days have been the best few days of my life. This is all the excitement I've only dreamed about in comic books, and you- you're more beautiful and more amazing than I ever imagined."

His throat started to close up, his body protecting him from himself, but he could sense Ladybug's anticipation. Knowing he'd hate himself if he stopped now, he continued.

"Ladybug, you don't need me or this magic to be happy. There's plenty of other people waiting for you to turn back to normal for that. Alya, Tikki… Chat Noir. Maybe after all this, if you still feel the same way, I'll be here with open arms. But right now Paris needs a hero, and we all know you're the one who will save us time and time again. That's why I fell for you, you know?"

He waited for her to say something, his heartbeat echoing in his ears. She cupped a hand around his cheek, but her eyes were unreadable. Her earrings beeped. They both ignored it.

"Why won't you understand?" she whispered, her voice thick. "I need you."

There was a building silence in the space between them, but at once they leaned into each other and closed that silence with a kiss. It was a kiss that agreed on nothing except on the fact they cared for each other, and for that moment, it seemed to be enough.

The loud clunk from one of the nearby towers derailed both of their thoughts.

* * *

In that instance, there was only a green haze of betrayal and hurt.

Ladybug only had a second to process Chat Noir witnessing her kiss with Nathanael, because in the next her partner was struck with the end of Matchmaker's staff. She gasped when the force shoved her black-clad companion off the tower, but Chat managed to extend his staff into a wedge of space and catch himself. It didn't stop the fury that ignited throughout her once she saw Matchmaker. The villain carried himself with excessive pride, his staff resting back on his shoulder, his smile stretching in the night. Out of all the villains she faced, she first thought she didn't mind this one the least.

"Are you ready to hand over your Miraculous, Ladybug?"

Too inspired by rage, she threw her yoyo at one of the columns and landed in front of Matchmaker. Twirling her weapon in what was both a shield and a threat, she inched closer to the villain until he was forced to take a few steps back. She thought she had the advantage once the smile vanished from his face and he was backed onto the edge. Then the sneer returned, and to her horror, he fell back.

Sprinting on instinct, she reached for the air where he had once been, too late. When she looked down, she saw a spot of an orange glow. The spot became a stream, and Ladybug realized Matchmaker was propelling himself through the sky with the fire from his staff. She whirled around when she realized his intentions.

"No!" she yelled, twirling around in time to see Matchmaker stop beneath Nathanael. Chat Noir ran on top of the rooftop, and Ladybug leapt off the tower to join him. Matchmaker forced her to stop by pointing his staff in Nathanael's face. The situation seemed all the more terrible when her earring let out another beep.

"Take another step, either of you, and I'll let him fall to the ground." The words were enough to force her partner to stop too, Chat Noir clenching his jaw. "Give me your Miraculous and I'll free him!"

Out of the corners of her eyes, she knew Chat Noir was looking back at her, waiting for a plan. Her mind, however, was short-circuiting. There was no plan. There was no plan, and she was running out of time. Her hand quivered as she stretched it in Nathanael's direction, but she snapped it back to her side in a fist. Ladybug's shoulders dropped, and not letting herself make eye-contact with anyone, she reached to pull off an earring.

"You can't!" Chat Noir grabbed her wrist with a forceful yank, nearly teetering them off to the side.

"Stop it! I need to save him!" Resisting his protest, she attempted to shove him away, but she only managed to get one step past him. The boy threw his arms around her from behind, wrapping them over her own. Outraged, she struggled against his hold.

"My lady, _please_." It was impossible to ignore the thick emotion in his voice. She tried anyway.

"Let me go!" Tears brimmed in her eyes, but it did not make her any less stubborn.

"Listen to me. We'll figure out another way, together. You don't have to-"

"Look out!" Nathanael yelled from above, just as a bolt of fire erupted from Matchmaker's staff. The heroes looked up, but neither moved in time, only having enough to brace themselves for the sudden impact. The staff's magic charged the rooftop with an explosive force, to the point it crumbled beneath them. Ladybug felt the air leave her body as she fell down into the fresh hole, Chat Noir's arms only holding her tighter against him.

Her earrings let out another beep.


	8. Chapter 8

The second to last beep echoed in the large emptiness of the cathedral.

The two had landed in a hard collision with the tiled floor, Chat Noir with his back on the ground and Ladybug on top of him. Chat Noir attempted to take the brunt of the fall, but when he checked on his partner- after blinking off his stupor- he realized she was limp in his arms. He chased off the worries that plagued him as soon as they arrived, knowing they both had taken similar falls in the past. That still didn't explain why Ladybug lied unconscious. All he understood was his head was still swimming and her earrings were beeping. When had she cast Lucky Charm?

One look at the gaping hole in the ceiling told him they needed to find a hiding place, and also that they were in huge trouble if the damage wasn't fixed by Miraculous Cure. Chat Noir stood and scooped the out-of-commission heroine in his arms, looking over all the pews with his night vision in an attempt to find somewhere safe. He settled for underneath one of the side archways and into the darker shadows of the monument. It was while picking her up he noticed the camcorder on her hip, and he considered taking it before her sporadic last beeps jolted him into a panic.

He was going to see her, right at that moment, with all the dark green clarity his alter ego had granted him through the eyes of his mask.

He dropped his transformation.

" _Why_?" was Plagg's immediate response.

Adrien flushed in the complete darkness, wondering if he had acted too hastily, but it was the only way to not see Ladybug untransformed. With all the curiosity he felt, he didn't want to tempt his will.

"I was going to see her," was how he translated this to Plagg. The kwami said nothing in return, and Adrien felt him burrow into his schoolbag. The cursed creature was probably going to eat.

Leaving her alone was out of the question, especially when he had no idea whether Matchmaker would follow them inside, but Adrien still felt a bit guilty when the pink light started to flash from her. He turned his head away, squinting against the light that would have provided him the only opportunity to see her. When it was over, his heartbeat slowed to a more reasonable speed.

He still had undeniable excitement at the thought of her civilian self being right in his arms, but he tried to contain it so they could take refuge against the wall. He rested her head on top of his lap as he sat and stared out into the rest of the cathedral. Moonlight carried a soft glow to outline the shapes of the pews and hint the patterns of the hard floors, but the two were completely untouched by the outside world.

"Curiosity killed the cat," he mused to himself with dry humor, looking down at his lap where he saw nothing. She was breathing, she wasn't wounded, and her identity was safe. Everything was fine.

Without invitation, the image of her kissing Nathanael took the forefront of his mind. It had taken him so off guard back then he almost forgot who the real villain of the night was. He wanted to rip her away from him and leave the boy hanging over the Seine, an emotion that conflicted with his role as a superhero. It was something he already wished he never saw, yet he worried it was something he would never forget. He reached for Ladybug's hand in an effort to calm down. The action had been so instinctive and unconscious that he was taken by complete shock when the small contact brought the warmth and softness of her hand against the bare skin of his.

Captivated by the novelty, he brought her hand up to his lips and pressed a kiss against the back of it, like he would as Chat Noir, except this time it was experimental, slow, and drawn out.

Adrien was stuck in a cross between bliss and sinking pain, leaving him with a bitter smile. Here he was, _pawsitively_ thrilled to kiss the back of her hand, yet she was busy kissing the lips of another. He reminded himself it was magic. She didn't really love Nathanael. He wondered if beneath it all she might have wondered about being with Chat Noir instead.

He leaned his head down over where he knew hers was. If he just ghosted his fingers over her face, he could find where her lips were. If he pulled her up just a little higher, leaned down a little further, it would be easy to cover up the tracks of this love spell. It could be him she kissed instead of Nathanael.

He sighed and straightened his back, letting the back of his head knock against the wall. Of course he wouldn't do that.

"No, wait, that might work!" a high-pitched voice enthused from close beside him.

"Whoa!" Adrien stiffened his shoulders and scooted away from the unfamiliar voice. Ladybug's head slipped off his leg and onto the floor, and Adrien cringed when he heard the thud, followed by the hiss that sounded from between her teeth. Adrien's pulse picked up again.

"Oops. I'm sorry!" It was the unfamiliar voice again, and it dawned on Adrien that if Ladybug was untransformed then her kwami would also be released from her. He felt the top of her head brush against his knee and commanded himself to stay calm. His companion sat up in the darkness.

"Tikki? Where am I?"

Her half-awake voice was cute, he thought. And it definitely wasn't the time to be distracted by it.

"H-hey, Ladybug. You're in the Notre Dame. With me. Well, sort of me." With more awkwardness than he had accounted for, Adrien chided himself on the half-baked explanation.

"Chat Noir? But, if we're here…" He waited for it to click that they were alone in their regular states, but her mind followed another route. "What about Nathanael? Is he safe?!"

Adrien couldn't help himself. He found her shoulders in the dark and gripped onto them, trapping her where she sat. She really couldn't think about anything else. Did she even care that he saw her kiss Nathanael earlier? He thought he made it clear how he felt about her.

"He's fine," he answered, his voice clipped. She was as bad as Plagg with cheese. "More importantly, you're not Ladybug right now, and I'm not Chat Noir. Matchmaker is probably still outside and we need to figure out what we're going to do." Belatedly recalling her attempt to remove her Miraculous, he moved his hands down to her wrists. There was a pause.

"Did you see me?"

Adrien relaxed, somehow relieved by the question.

"No."

The silence festered in the darkness, and Adrien loosened his hold on her wrists. He wondered what she was thinking, but he was unsure whether to ask. A minute later, he felt her head lean against his shoulder.

"My lady?"

"Thank you, kitty."

It was a crime, the way the mere nickname made him melt. He wrapped one arm around her back, hugging her close to him, but she broke away too soon. Another silence lapsed over them, but this time he hoped she was figuring out a plan. His pool of strategies pulled up blank.

"What about the Lucky Charm?" The foreign voice, Tikki, broke the quiet again.

"You could have said that several dramatic pauses ago," Plagg commented.

"Oh, hush, Plagg."

Adrien blinked at the interaction, the fact never having occurred to him that the kwamis were already acquainted. He shook off his questions and remembered the video camera Ladybug had on her.

"That's right, do you still have it?" He let go of her to allow her to find it again, and she seemed to fumble with the object for a moment before finding the buttons in the dark. She managed to turn it on and they were blinded by the sudden brightness. He looked over and caught a glimpse of her pigtails before remembering himself and snapping his eyes back to the camera. Footage began to play on the jutting screen.

It was him chasing her as Chat Noir, hopping from one decorative head to another on top of a familiar fountain. He managed to catch up to her, colliding against her in the air and rolling her underneath him on the concrete. Adrien's eyes widened when he noticed the destructive power of Cataclysm exuding from his claws, and it wasn't until he took note of the black painted on his lips that he registered what he was looking at.

Valentine's Day.

The scene must have been captured by magic alone, because Adrien didn't recognize anything save for the scenery. He was horrified at how he poised his Cataclysm over her, pinning her down with a determined scowl on his face. In the background, he heard Heartbreaker demanding him to take her Miraculous.

" _I'm on it!_ " his past self agreed, sending a chill down his body. Adrien wanted nothing more than to look over and see how his partner reacted to the recording, but he was left no choice but to stay fixated on the screen. " _I'm finally going to discover who you are, Ladybug! You can say goodbye to your secret identity!_ "

Adrien knew it was irrational, but he was filled with nothing but dread as Chat Noir smirked and propped her face up with two fingers. Needless to say, he was not expecting the next turn of events.

His lady flashed a smile- the same she usually wore whenever she figured things out. Her eyes brightened and her teeth gleamed while her hands held both sides of his face. With no reluctance or hesitation, she pulled him in for a kiss, and they both relaxed into the kiss for a full five seconds until they both broke away in mutual surprise. Chat Noir jolted back up and the black lipstick vanished.

" _But- What am I doing here?!_ "

The footage ended, leaving nothing but the dim blue glow from a black screen.

It felt like the whole world had shifted.

"Did you like it?"

It probably would have sounded better as a joke, but the first words out of Adrien's mouth were irrevocably honest. He turned his head towards Ladybug, only able to see the profile of her face. She looked back in his direction too, her lips parted in disbelief.

"What?"

"Did you like the kiss? Why didn't you tell me about it?"

"I-I only did it to break the curse! It didn't mean anything." She closed the screen and the camcorder powered off, leaving them with zero visibility again. Adrien gave her hand a soft squeeze.

"But it _worked_ ," he murmured in amazement, more to himself than to her.

Would it work for him too?

Ladybug stayed quiet, giving him the opportunity to turn the gears in his head and muster up the nerve. He leaned in closer to her.

"Ladybug." His free hand found her jaw and guided her to face him. "Can I… Can I kiss you again?"

"But I love _Nathanael_."

He would be happy to never hear that name for another ten years.

A click echoed through the cathedral. Row by row, the Notre Dame came to life with dim and atmospheric lighting, and each light revealed the girl right in front of him with growing clarity. The two stared at each other in shock. The shadows of the arches did nothing to protect them any longer.

"Adrien?"

"Marinette."

"Finally," muttered Plagg.

The same blue eyes. The same pigtails. The same charisma and the same bravery. The same girl who befriended him all that time ago, and the same girl who fought by his side at the very beginning. It was the same girl who he loved from the first day he met her and the same girl who had feelings for him while he spent his time as Adrien Agreste. It was Marinette.

Marinette.

He realized a lot of things in that moment- one of them being he was an absolute idiot- but he wasn't given the time to dwell on them. The faraway door was forced open with a burst of flame, and Adrien grabbed onto Marinette's hand to guide them further away from view.

"I can't wait all night, you two. Give me your Miraculous!"

They took cover behind one of the pews with the two kwamis trailing after them. Tikki, a red and black spotted kwami with large blue eyes, seemed giddy despite the predicament. Plagg, as Adrien expected no less of, was thoroughly unaffected. Marinette was still watching him with a blank stare, and Adrien had to remind himself he couldn't stop to stare into her eyes all night.

"We need to transform," he whispered, to which emotion finally flickered in her eyes. She nodded, determined, and exchanged glances with Tikki. Adrien raised his fist.

"Transform me!"

There was a unison of pink and green flashes before the two superheroes jumped over the pews and into Matchmaker's line of sight. The pair gave simultaneous grins, finding their sync again after a renewed sense of partnership from the revelations. Matchmaker's confidence faltered at the sight, but that didn't stop him from pointing his staff in their direction.

"If you don't hurry up, I can make that tomato-head drop to his death from right here."

"I don't think so, Matchmaker. I think Paris now has enough of your services." Ladybug threw her yoyo for his staff and yanked Matchmaker off the ground. He flew at them with a daunting velocity, screaming, until he crashed in the space before their feet. Matchmaker glowered at them both, and they jumped when the staff shot out fire at their feet. He took advantage of their surprise to get back on his feet, point his staff again, and fire. Chat Noir pulled Ladybug behind the cover of an arch, jerking themselves away from the myriad of attacks.

"Cataclysm!" The black glimmer on his hand was short-lived, the boy pressing his hand flat against the nearest wall. A sickening brown snaked up the surface before a large chunk of it crumbled altogether.

"Chat Noir!" Ignoring the horrified outcry from his partner, he tugged them both through the opening. He sent her a wink.

"Looks like something we need to fix later."

Whatever protest was coming out of her mouth was cut off when they heard Matchmaker following them into the street. Ladybug suppressed a sigh and cast up her yoyo, a powerful "Lucky Charm!" signifying her intentions. A polka-dotted bottle of soap landed in her hands, and Chat Noir was set at ease as soon as that knowing smile graced her features. She beckoned Matchmaker over with a finger and a wink before taking off in the direction of the Seine. She dodged the fire hurled her way with graceful leaps, though her run was deliberately slow, and Matchmaker had fallen into her trap the second he thought he was going to catch her.

Ladybug jumped in the air and squeezed the soap onto the ground, causing Matchmaker to yell and slip over the slick ground. He slid until he crashed into the concrete fence, toppling over it and falling into the Seine. Chat Noir and Ladybug walked over to the edge to see him surface back up, the fiery red hair that had once stood up like a flame falling flat down the sides of his face. Matchmaker tossed his head up in pure frustration.

"Ladybug!" he bellowed, his staff pointed to the sky. The tip of it started to glow a bright orange again, but the water put out what little fire could form. Ladybug swung her yoyo and pulled her victim out of the Seine, smiling. The villain landed flat on the ground while his staff landed in her hand. She broke it over her knee and Chat Noir beamed when she caught the akuma in one fluid motion.

"Bye, bye, little butterfly!"

There was a flash, and Matchmaker became a regular teenage boy, dazed with a love letter and an unlit match in hand. Ladybug, on the other hand, was too distracted by the soap bottle by her foot to notice him. Chat Noir followed her eyes to the broken wall of the Notre Dame to the spire where Nathanael still hung. Her eyes were flooded with conflict and heartache, and he knew she was still unsure about Miraculous Cure.

He walked to the spot in front of her. She looked up warily, oblivious to the gentle smile on his face. Her shoulders tensed and she tried to avoid his gaze. Her confidence while defeating Matchmaker fell away from her, and Chat Noir was left with someone small and vulnerable.

"I-I know what I should do, Chat, but… but I-"

He took one of her hands in his and pulled her closer, forcing her to tilt her chin up to face him.

"Good job, my lady."

He brought his lips to hers.


	9. Chapter 9

The first thing she felt as she swam out of the fog was Chat Noir's breath melding with hers.

She blinked away the last of her haze and found herself disoriented. The only thing Marinette was certain of was that she was Ladybug, just as she had been when she faced Matchmaker at the school. The cool night air and the chatter of a distant crowd made her realize she was somewhere else, but it was hard to concentrate on where she was when her partner was not even a full inch away from her face. She found herself staring up into the green eyes framed by that familiar black mask, filled with what she could only peg as love, and her cheeks warmed as she was infected by a sudden shyness. This was _Chat Noir_ she was with, but her heart was thrumming like a hummingbird's wings.

"What's going on, kitten?" She tried to wear a smile that didn't give away her confusion.

"Are you back to normal now, Bugaboo?" His smile drew tighter, his eyes suddenly guarded, and Ladybug wondered what on earth happened to make her grandiose partner so apprehensive. She looked down between them and saw that he was holding her. Not only that, but the warmth of his arms was keeping her at a disconcerting amount of ease, considering the situation.

"Uh, yeah," she answered, placing a hand to his chest to add space. "Are you okay?"

Just as soon as she finished, Chat Noir pulled her back in a tight hug. It was such a desperate gesture, where she could feel the quivering relief in his exhale and the tautness of his muscles, and it reminded her of the time he thought he lost her. She wrapped her arms around him and rolled her eyes.

"Really, you silly cat. I'm fine."

In the middle of the embrace his Miraculous beeped, followed by her own. He pulled away and gave a laugh, turning his head to the teenager who had once been Matchmaker. He had been watching the duo with his jaw hanging open and all at once Ladybug felt embarrassed. She covered one of her blinking earrings and backed away from Chat Noir, who in return sent her a smirk.

"Anyway, it looks like Matchmaker is finally _burnt out_. Would you like to do us the honor of fixing Paris?" He gestured to the gaping hole in the middle of Notre Dame, unabashed under Ladybug's accusing stare after she recognized it as his handiwork. Ladybug looked further in the distance to see people were headed in their direction and sighed. She noticed the Lucky Charm by her feet and crouched down to retrieve it, sparing another look to take in Chat Noir's grin. She found the corners of her lips quirking back up at the sight.

"Miraculous Ladybug!" she shouted with emphatic enthusiasm, tossing the bottle into the sky. It vanished in a bright flash, and streams of pink-white light careened through the skies in all directions. The heroes looked up and admired the scene, the healing having to stretch on for so far and so long, the magic comparative to fireworks. Soon enough, there was an entire crowd just behind them watching the scene too, the cameras flashing and cheers erupting in a more ceremonious way than usual.

Chat Noir's ring gave another beep, and Ladybug tore her gaze away to send him a meaningful smile.

"Don't you have somewhere to be headed?" she asked, eyeing his ring finger.

"Actually, I think here's a romantic setting for a date, my lady."

She opened her mouth to return his words with another flirtatious quip, but then she looked up to find the eagerness stemming from his smile. He was being serious. Her cheeks became red again, and- deciding she had enough of blushing in front of Chat Noir for one night- she threw her yoyo out into the distance.

"I think we'll both be a little under-dressed for the occasion," she said, her voice trained on staying casual. She had to deal with it as a joke for the sake of her sanity. Another snap of her wrist and her feet lifted off the ground, Ladybug ascending out of reach. As she glided into the night, she allowed herself to glance back at Chat. She caught the last second of that goofy smile on his face before he saluted to the crowd and vaulted away in the opposite direction.

o o o

Marinette bit her lip as she scrolled through her phone on her way to school the next morning.

[ 11:00 ] **Goodnight (heart) I love you**

[ 5:47 ] **I can't wait to see you tonight! Wanna go to the Eiffel Tower?**

[ 9:27 ] **Don't say that! No one makes me happier. I'd be happy to be in love with you forever**

Her thumb twitched over the "delete conversation" option each time she read over the text messages she sent Nathanael in her trance. Deleting the messages didn't delete the fact she sent them, however, so she decided to at least keep them until she had a better grasp of everything that went on.

One of his messages did stand out though.

[ 12:02 ] _All I ever wanted was for you to love me. Even when I "got over" you I just fell for you again. So it's still a little hard to wrap my head around all this, but I really do like you a lot Marinette._

Attached to the message was an image. She opened it for possibly the hundredth time since last night and examined the artwork he sent her. It was a picture of her, both as Ladybug and as Marinette. Her personas faced opposite directions, joined together by the hand despite walking away from each other. He had drawn her civilian self with the determined smile she often wore as Ladybug, dressed in a red and black dress that referenced her alter ego. The heroine, by contrast, wore a softer expression one wouldn't expect on her features. The red on Ladybug's hand was purposely washed out, the color bleeding into Marinette's, and the pink nail polish of Marinette's fingernails shaded some of the space near Ladybug's wrist. 'Nathanael' was signed on the corner.

It was impossible not to appreciate. His art had always been skillful but now it was personal, and Marinette felt her heart twist when she thought of the message implied within the drawing. It also implied his sincerity.

When Marinette first found out about her tryst with Nathanael through last night's phone call with Alya, she was fueled with anxiety. Marinette was able to piece together that he knew she was Ladybug, and she didn't delude herself into thinking he was going to be unaffected by her magic-induced feelings fading into thin air. Guilt weighed on her, all the way up to the point she walked into the open classroom. She cast her eyes to the back where he normally would sit, but he didn't appear to be there yet. Instead, she found Adrien talking to Nino.

Her anxiety tripled. What did Adrien think during that entire time she was under a spell? She froze at the doorway, not believing she hadn't considered that yet. Would he doubt her feelings for him (whenever she did decide to tell him)? Did he think she was such an over-the-top lover that the idea of being with her horrified him? A tremor went through her legs and she wiggled in fear.

"Get it together. I promise you weren't _that_ bad," Alya spoke up from behind her. Marinette whirled around.

"Then how bad was I, Alya?" Marinette brought a hand up to her clenched teeth. "I don't know what I did at all. What if I ruined my chance without meaning to?" She dropped her head on Alya's shoulder, who patted her head with a laugh. Marinette didn't notice the pair of attentive green eyes fixed on her.

"Well…" Her friend drew out her answer, and Marinette raised her head once Alya pulled out her phone. Pictures of Adrien and Marinette together with the rudest expressions on her face sent shocks through her system. Marinette brought her hand to her forehead and moaned.

"Great. Now he thinks I hate him."

Her friend hummed, looking past Marinette with a smirk.

"If he does, it doesn't look like he cares."

Marinette turned her head, meeting Adrien's stunned eyes at once. He smiled and waved a second after he was caught, and Marinette smiled a little easier in return. Maybe it was wishful thinking, but everything about him assured her things were fine between them. Marinette glanced back at Alya and walked towards their desk. Adrien turned around to face them.

"Hey, Marinette. I'm glad you're feeling better."

Her fingers froze on her bag, unsure how to react. It wasn't unusual for Adrien to greet her in the morning, she reminded herself, but she was still on edge. She tried to think the way he was looking at her wasn't unusual either, but if his smiles had been breathtaking before, the one he wore now sent her on overdrive. It was different from his usual ones: friendly and polite, if not also a little reserved. This one was crooked yet sincere, like nothing made him happier than to see her in that moment.

"Y-yeah! You feel better- I mean, feeling is better. No, I mean…" The heat on her face was impossible to ignore. She actually hadn't stuttered around him in quite some time, and she could feel Alya's baffled stare. That was easy to ignore though while she could _see_ Adrien's surprise. The smile left his face, but he recovered it soon enough. His eyes skittered away from hers.

"That's good," he said, as if forgetting the fact she hadn't said anything comprehensible.

Marinette felt her legs trembling again, so she sat down. Adrien looked out to the window, and she found it safe to examine his features while he was distracted. He didn't seem to be repelled or disgusted by her, at the very least. She didn't screw things up. She told herself everything was fine, repeating it over and over again, until she could get herself to believe the mantra.

Everything was fine.

Then Adrien's eyes flickered up to hers knowingly, and the smile stretched on his face again once he caught her mid-stare. Her heartbeat stuttered from the interaction, but he looked back to the window as if nothing had happened. Marinette let her gaze drift to her desk and contained the awkward smile that spread on her face. Adrien's charm had sent her reeling in a way that was new to her, and the most dangerous thing was that charm reminded her of none other than Chat Noir. She remembered the proximity of Chat's lips while she had been in his arms, and Marinette tried not to admit a part of her kept falling deeper for the stupid cat too.

Everything was not fine.

* * *

Just as fast as it started, it ended.

For Nathanael, it felt fairly unceremonious, despite last night's light-show sweeping him off the spire and dropping him in front of the west facade of Notre Dame. Above him Ladybug's magic had raced through the darkness like bright ribbons, wrapping their way around all the damages and leaving what they touched in a more perfect shape. All of Paris had watched in awe while the magic reached far and wide, some cheering and some smiling, and all the reporters merrily plastered headlines about how everyone in Paris was saved and rejoicing.

Nathanael knew better.

He knew he wasn't the only one who turned away from the dazzling night sky, heart too heavy to join the enthusiasm of those near by. The Miraculous Cure could only restore the city to its prior state, gliding past the several who were doomed for heartache from the start. Still, he had forced a half-smile on his face to blend in with the jubilant crowds he passed by on the streets. It was good that Ladybug finally defeated Matchmaker. It was good the hearts of the victims were free to be their own. It was good that everything was back to normal, even if normal meant Marinette did not love him. He accepted this and walked back home, throwing himself into the familiar white space of his sketchbook. He ignored the permeating silence as he worked, which fought to remind him of his new-found loneliness. All he needed was to readjust back to what was normal.

He smiled.

He accepted.

He _ignored_.

Ignoring was exactly what he was doing when he sat in the school's art room, dedicated to the canvas propped up on the easel. Classes ended, but Nathanael found the setting easier to focus. He wasn't too experienced with oil paint which meant he was thoroughly distracted in trying to perfect its use. He was immersed in concentration, his hair tied back and his brow furrowed, the artist deciding the colors of his project and scrutinizing his progress for corrections. It was easy not to think about everything that transpired. Nathanael paused to take another discerning glance at his work, only to notice the all-too-familiar curve of his subject's cheeks and the large roundness of her eyes. He made the model of his painting _blonde_ and she still looked like Marinette.

Ignoring, perhaps, wasn't going so well.

He frowned and continued anyway, moving on to focus on how the rest of the body was posed.

"Nathanael?"

The line he'd been painting scrambled off to the side in crooked disorder. He turned his head to take in Marinette standing at the doorway, both her hands holding her schoolbag in front of her. She seemed wary and Nathanael wondered how she got the idea to be nervous towards him. He got up to go to her but his elbow sent one of the tubes of paint crashing to the ground, the blue splattering. He slumped his shoulders.

Marinette's footsteps were no more than light taps against the floor, but Nathanael was hyper-aware of her approach. She retrieved the tube, offering it to him with a kind smile. He took it, daring to see the questions in her eyes before he snapped his attention back to the blue spatters.

"Thanks." He rested the tube of paint on the closest table, walking away to find something to clean up the mess. Finding a cloth and the right cleaning product, he returned to wash off the paint. He knelt down to the floor and went to work, glancing up once at Marinette. She was distracted by the beginnings of his painting and he hoped she wouldn't find her resemblance.

"If this is about… your secret, I promise I'll keep it." He sent her a smile, trying to be reassuring. She smiled and crouched down beside him.

"That's not why I'm here, but thank you."

"Do you remember everything?"

He kept his voice even as he lifted the rag from the ground and hoped the blue wouldn't stain.

"Not at all, really. It's a little nerve-wracking."

He tried to be relieved at that. He _should_ have been. Of course, Nathanael had spent too much of his life daydreaming to not imagine Marinette coming to find him after the spell was over, deciding she loved him after all. He berated himself for wishing that was the case as soon as she entered the classroom. He stood up with the dirty rag and cleaning product in one hand, reaching down to help Marinette with his other. It was a struggle to separate his hand from hers as soon as she was on her feet.

"Is that why you're here then?"

Marinette shook her head, looking away once before keeping her gaze level with his.

"I wanted to ask a favor."

"Anything."

Nathanael rethought his answer too late, Marinette startled by the weight of the word. She didn't leave him to worry over it for too long though, looking down to her pocket where she pulled out her phone. She held it out for him and he stared at it dumbly until he realized what he was looking at. The picture he made for her the same night they sat and talked on the Eiffel Tower took up all of the screen.

"I was wondering if I could have it, or a copy maybe? It's just…" Marinette hesitated and her smile became shy. "It's a really lovely drawing, Nathanael."

It wasn't the first time he heard that from her, but the fact that this was the real Marinette telling him this made his cheeks warm. His art managed to mean something to her, even if he necessarily didn't.

"You can have it. I'll bring it tomorrow."

Her body dropped the tension he didn't realize she was holding, and it occurred to him he would have enjoyed drawing her in such a pose. He brushed away the thought with a smile. There were so many things he could tell her only yesterday, but today they were left with amiable gazes and polite words. He saw her open her mouth to thank him, but he shook his head.

"Consider it an apology."

 _And my thank you_ , he added in his mind.

There was that startled look on her face again, but Nathanael kept his expression consistent. Eventually, she was forced to accept his words with a smile mirroring his. Her eyes seemed to contain some sort of unspoken praise, but she was too aware of his feelings to speak them.

"Tomorrow then," she said instead, pulling her school bag to her shoulder. He watched her turn for the door, pride swelling in his chest as he acknowledged his small success. He wanted her to be happy, and he'd do whatever was in his power to make that happen. His thoughts went to Adrien being Chat Noir.

"Wait, Marinette."

Those cerulean gems were staring into him again, and Nathanael recalled the hours in class that very same day. He had noticed the longing glances the unmasked duo sent when the other wasn't looking, and he had noticed the wide smiles on their faces when they did manage to talk to each other. If the pictures on Marinette's wall and the intensity of Chat Noir's stare told him they loved each other before, it was nothing compared to the light-hearted bubble that encased the two whenever they fumbled around each other now. Whether the both of them were aware of it or not, they were smitten regardless of the form the other took, and it was only a matter of time until they found it out for themselves.

The fools didn't need his help, he realized.

"Just… beware of any black cats crossing your path."

As if to demonstrate his thoughts, a light blush blossomed on her cheeks, and she laughed. A moment later and she was gone, the door closing behind her with a resounding click. Nathanael stared at his painting and into the colorless eyes. They were meant to be blue and there was no point in denying it. He sighed as he retrieved the same bottle that he dropped, getting back to work.

It hurt, but he would get past it.


	10. Chapter 10

No, guys. Wait. I promise that wasn't the last chapter.

(Spoiler alert: This is.)

* * *

"She found out who I was and she forgot everything."

Plagg floated out of the way as Adrien collapsed onto his bed. The two exchanged sighs, Plagg's exasperated and Adrien's mournful. Though the boy's tone was sour, he was smiling, thinking back on the kiss that brought Ladybug- Marinette- back to herself. It had been on his mind when he woke up that morning, when he went to class, and when he endured fencing practice. Forgetting about it seemed impossible.

Because, for a few short seconds, she kissed him back.

The accompanying knowledge that it was their second kiss sent his head for a spin. He wondered how Ladybug never mentioned it, because the echo of the sensation was seared into his mind. He wondered how he forgot it. Adrien had to suffer through all the details of him telling her how much he hated her on Valentine's Day, but he never heard of the kiss. The realization dawned on him, and the teenager sat up with a start.

"Why didn't you tell me Ladybug kissed me?" His eyes narrowed at his kwami, who snickered at his frustration.

"Was it really important?" Plagg drawled, eyes glinting with amusement.

" _Yes_ , Plagg. The girl I love kissing me is kind of a big deal."

Adrien huffed and got off his bed, crossing the width of his room to his desk. Out of habit, he went to the Ladyblog, but he smiled as he remembered he didn't need theories to figure out who she was anymore. His eyes skimmed the text on the page, hardly reading it. What he really wondered was how to go about revealing his identity to her again. Would she be just as accepting about it as last time? He wanted to explain their kiss to her too, but he wasn't sure how to go about it. Then a certain post caught his attention.

 _Hot Rumor: Ladybug and Chat Noir Kiss!_

Ladybug followed the Ladyblog, he thought errantly.

He checked the window, catching the cascade of orange as the sun was about to sink below the horizon. Maybe he could find the time to explain it to her after all, seeing as how she would find out one way or another. He knew he'd rather give all the details than have her jump to her own assumptions. Luckily, he knew just where he could find her to have that conversation.

And then she could know he was Adrien.

"Come on, Plagg," he said suddenly, forgetting his surliness towards him. "Transform me!"

Plagg only managed one grimace before he was tugged into the ring, and Chat Noir darted out of the Agreste Mansion in two swift leaps. The rest of the way he whooped through the skies, garnering the attention of passing citizens. The cat only stopped to calm down when he quickly neared the Dupain-Cheng bakery, and he made it a point to escape any onlooker's line of sight before he landed on top of Marinette's balcony. The second his feet hit the railing, his nerves caught up with him.

Chat Noir stood alone, facing the trapdoor that he knew led down to Marinette's room. Behind him, the orange rays of the setting sun were subdued by a growing lavender. The twilight gave him enough time to think, and enough time to doubt. Just because Marinette liked Adrien didn't promise she would like that Adrien was Chat Noir. Maybe she would resent him for finding out who she was while she was trapped under a spell, or maybe she wouldn't want to talk about the kiss. Maybe she _didn't like_ the kiss, but Adrien had replayed the memory so often he wondered how he would have missed any signs. Too many maybes festered in his mind, but he would never know the answer to any of them unless he acted.

Taking a deep breath, he stepped off the railing and onto the balcony.

Ladybug shot up from Marinette's trapdoor.

* * *

Ladybug luck wasn't all it was cracked up to be.

Her mistake dominated the scenery surrounding them. The pair stared at each other in sheer astonishment, eyes wide and mouths agape and both frozen in their poses. Ladybug looked up at him from her paralyzed crouch while Chat Noir was rooted to the floor directly in front of her. A beat passed, and neither of them were able to say anything.

Chat Noir just saw _Ladybug_ come out of _Marinette's_ door.

"Chat Noir!" she choked out in a high pitch voice, her heart jumping to her throat. She had to fix this, and she had to fix this now. "F-funny seeing you here. I just left Marinette's door, as you, uh, just saw. I was just visiting to check up on her after the curse and I-"

Then, for whatever reason she couldn't comprehend, Chat Noir burst out laughing.

Stricken by the response, Ladybug stood up and took a step back. Her partner held out a hand, as if pleading with her to stay put while still barking out laughter. It was one of his louder laughs, in which his shoulders shook and the smile on his face stretched its widest, uncontained and unrestricted. It was endearing but completely not what she needed in the quiet night as they stood above where she lived. She pouted and folded her arms.

"And what's so funny?"

The boy managed to stifle his laughter for a moment, only for it to trickle back out in a softer chuckle. He coughed away the rest of his amusement and grinned at her. The mischief in his eyes matched his namesake.

"I think the cat's out of the bag, my lady."

Ladybug groaned and stretched a hand to her temple.

"In all the scenarios where I imagined this would happen, I should have known you would say that in every one of them."

His eyes softened and he grabbed the wrist over her face. She lowered it to send him a dubious look, but she didn't stop him from guiding her to the railing of the balcony. He leaned on it with his side but never looked away from her, whereas she placed her hands on the metal and tried to avoid his gaze for a full ten seconds. She failed.

"I didn't mean to laugh," he said. The mirth still dancing in his eyes made it hard for her to believe that. "It's just... I was coming here to tell you I knew who you were anyway. You just made the whole reveal a lot easier."

Ladybug blinked, unsure how to react towards that. She gripped tighter onto the rail and they both turned to the city, the Eiffel Tower a ceaseless beacon in the distance. She processed his words.

"So, during the thing with Matchmaker?"

"Yeah. A lot of things happened."

She nodded. She thought to ask for details before she remembered what had sent her bolting out her trapdoor the second she heard Chat Noir was out and about the city. She traded her nod for a low hum and she narrowed her eyes back in Chat Noir's direction.

"Like that kiss?" she accused.

He had the audacity to smirk.

"I was repaying the favor."

"What favo-" She cut off, the memory coming back to her with a slam. The heat all but blistered her cheeks, the blood rushing to her face all at once. She knew exactly what he was talking about. Her partner raised his brow at her defensive stance.

"That was different," she argued. "That was to break Heartbreaker's curse!"

"And I broke Matchmaker's curse? Interesting how true love's kiss solves our problems, don't you think, my lady?"

Although he smiled, he sounded somewhat serious. Like he entertained the idea as plausible.

 _He's joking_ , Marinette reminded herself, looking away.

"Love conquers hate, Chat Noir. Any kiss probably would have worked."

There was a silence. Ladybug turned, believing Chat Noir was considering her response, but his eyes were distant. The corner of his mouth curled down in distaste and his body tensed. She thought to question it, but his lips parted first.

"It didn't work with Nathanael."

Ladybug stiffened, not expecting the fact nor the uncharacteristic bitterness in his voice.

"I tried several ways to break you out of that curse. You wouldn't… wouldn't budge no matter what I did. You didn't fight the akuma, or even care about anything else but _him_. It was like you were gone." The hero stared out at Paris like he was reliving a trainwreck.

By compulsion, she wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug.

"But you did break it," she reminded him. Her voice stayed soft and carried sincerity. "Thank you, Chat Noir. I know you always look out for me."

In the end, no matter what Ladybug faced, Chat Noir always managed to be there when it counted. She could never imagine trusting anyone the same way she trusted him- the bond between them was so unique she thought it was impossible to achieve with any other person. He filled in the blanks wherever she needed them, and it wasn't just in the empty slots of her memory. His differences made up for what she lacked. Yet, they were similar enough to act naturally with each other, whether in personality or in movement. This boy beneath the mask had grown to be an important facet of her, and she never wanted to take him for granted. It was a platonic sort of affection-

She cursed him for derailing her last train of thought by pulling her tighter into him and brushing his lips against her ear.

"You know, I wondered why you didn't fall in love with me when Matchmaker hit you."

His voice was a low whisper, and she knew there was no chance he hadn't noticed the way she shivered as they held each other. She could sense the smile that crept up on his lips as a result. Her head tucked into the space between his neck and shoulder, and she focused on the leather-like material of his black suit. When he spoke and hugged her like this, there was no voice in her head to assure her he was joking. She tried to pull a smile.

"Maybe Nathanael just liked me more?" she offered, struggling to keep her voice steady.

"I guarantee you that's not the case."

They started to pull away, only far enough to make eye contact. No matter how Marinette condemned it, her heart fluttered without her control. The feline slits of Chat Noir's eyes locked on her, his focus intense, like he was about to pounce at any moment- and she was the prey. She couldn't decide if the feeling building in her gut was dread or anticipation. He was going to do something, and she knew it would alter everything between them. Her lips parted.

 _Don't_ , the back of her mind wanted to whisper, afraid.

The blood singing through her wanted to beg him to continue.

"Chat Noir," was all she could manage, because she had to say something. Anything to hold this moment between them for as long as she could manage. He brought his nose down to hers and Ladybug was no longer distracted by his gaze. Instead, it was the short distance between their lips.

" _Marinette_. Do you think I've been joking about how I felt about you?"

The name was more intimate than she expected it to sound. What was worse was it was a question that expected an answer- an honest answer. The little barriers in the form of discrediting dismissals fell apart around her, and she came to face the fact she had been forming a defense from him all along. Her breath hitched when her partner drew away to smirk again.

"What's wrong, my lady? Need a little more _purrsuasion_?"

Ladybug was honestly going to fall in love with this stupid punning cat, and he would love her back. Then Adrien's name resonated through her mind, along with his kindness and his smiles and his perfection. Her unrequited love, but her love nonetheless.

It took all the strength she possessed as Ladybug to push his nose inches away from hers.

"I like someone else," she confessed, more rueful than she would have liked. She tried to step out of his hold but he resisted her.

"I know. But you didn't answer my question."

She rolled her eyes at his insistence.

"Chat Noir, I've liked this guy for a long time."

"I've liked you for a long time too."

Ladybug wondered if the cunning glint in his eyes had been her imagination.

"You can't expect me to drop my feelings for him in one night because of-" She cut off, unsure what was supposed to come next in that sentence. Chat Noir, however, didn't ask. Instead, he had the same affectionate look on his face as the one she saw when she came out of her trance. Only this time, he was too far.

"I'm not asking you to drop your feelings for him," he said. "I'm asking you to trust me."

Somehow, for reasons unknown to her, that was all it took to crumble her resolve.

Marinette would always trust Chat Noir.

The fact resonated as she felt tempted to close the distance between them again. Ladybug rested her hand on his jaw, her thumb tracing his cheekbone through the material of her suit. He stilled at the contact, as if he hadn't actually expected his words to sway her. She smiled, leaning her face up and delighting in the fact it didn't take much to turn the tables on him.

"Trust, to kiss you?"

"Well, that's not exactly what I was asking, but if you're offering…"

She was entranced by the way his pupils dilated as she brought his head closer, as well as the way he withheld his breath until he spoke again.

"I want you to trust you won't regret it. I hope."

She giggled at his amendment.

"Okay."

She closed her eyes, and the moment his lips brushed against hers, Ladybug already knew she made the right choice.

It started gently. It was different from Heartbreaker, and it was definitely different from Matchmaker. It was a kiss that needed no cure, and this time, she was allowed to enjoy it. There was only the soft skin of his lips and the warmth of his hands against her back, but even that was enough to solidify how she felt towards him. She fluttered her eyelids and clung to his neck, feeling the heat from the exposed skin there, enjoying being close to him. They parted for a breath before he kissed her again, prolonging it, forcing her back against the railing. Neither thought they wanted to stop. At some point, she knew she had to. Just as her lips stilled against his, he dipped her down to press another brief kiss on her. She giggled despite herself.

"Down, kitten," she teased, opening her eyes.

When her kitten smiled back down at her, the night sky above his head, she knew her heart was done for. She would never be able to make an excuse for that kiss. Nor the two after it. Her partner guided her back up, though he never let her go. The familiar closeness between them was charged with too much of a newfound excitement. Chat Noir leaned his forehead down against hers.

"I want to show you who I am."

She hummed in answer. She expected as much at this point.

"It'd be the second time you found out. The first time kind of sprung out at both of us."

"How did I react the first time?"

"Good, I think. Maybe surprised? I think we both were."

There was an edge to his smile. Ladybug wished she could force her memory to grasp all those stolen moments, to see the look on his face when he discovered Ladybug was Marinette. She wanted to know if there was a reason for his wariness, like he was afraid of something his unveiling would provoke. It all seemed silly to her. She was supposed to be the one scared of revealing their identities; it never occurred to her that even he could worry about how she reacted to him.

"I want to know," she whispered, encouraging him.

He was kissing her again. The timing struck her as odd, but the sensation felt too comfortable to protest. His lips were firm and insistent, unlike before, and Ladybug learned she could read his intentions even through an exchange such as this. She realized what was happening as the fabric from the collar of his suit transformed into cotton underneath her hands. Even with her eyes closed, she could notice the blinding flash, and she could even feel the sudden rush of air that carried with his detransformation. He broke away from her, and Ladybug could hear his breathing through the silence.

Blue eyes met green.

"Hi, Marinette."

* * *

Without releasing her transformation, Ladybug reverted back to Marinette all at once.

"Adrien?"

It was a tame response, accompanied by a blooming red on her cheeks. Her eyes were glazed by a sort of disconnect, like she had forgotten everything again and could only see that Adrien was standing in front of her. The reaction was so similar to the one she had after he freed her from Matchmaker's curse, and for a moment he feared he was reliving it. Then, after the initial blow had passed, her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. The tender silence between them was swept away in one go.

"A-Adrien! But I was kissing you- I mean kissing Chat Noir- No, I mean-"

At least her stammering made sense this time, though he could see it might as well have been just as nonsensical through Marinette's perspective.

"Um. Both?" he offered, trying a smile. He blinked when she whirled out of his arms and brought her hands to her hair.

"No! I completely just told you I loved you and then I cheated on you immediately after! And I kept turning you- _you_ \- down and you were… You're _Adrien_ , I could never turn you down! But you're that stupid cat and I-"

She cut off with a shrill sound Adrien couldn't identify as a laugh or a yelp.

Adrien blinked at first, unsure how to register all that she said in the timespan of ten seconds. All he knew was that she called him stupid and said she loved him in the same breath. He rubbed the back of his neck, waiting for her to turn back and face him. Seconds stretched on to be a minute, and at last he reached to touch her arm. Ladybug peered back at him with apprehension.

"How do we get ourselves into these ridiculous situations? Right?" He smiled. They were words she often repeated to his alter ego, yet this was the most ridiculous situation of all. They watched each other for another long moment before they both dissolved into quiet laughter. Ladybug giggled in that way that was completely Marinette, and Adrien felt himself love her all the more for it. Suddenly, she was more real than he ever knew her to be.

Ladybug reached for his hands, the motion tentative at first, until Adrien closed his fingers around hers.

"I guess our feelings were requited after all." Her words were shy, but her gaze was filled with certainty. Adrien's cheeks warmed. Recovering himself, he grinned.

"If that's how it is, then I guess it's fine Matchmaker didn't light any sparks between us."

Ladybug groaned, but she rested her head against his chest, and the two began to laugh again.

* * *

"Class is canceled, forever! No teachers means no homework!"

Marinette scowled, facing off the freshly akumatized victim who had mummified her teacher with a bunch of essays. Most of the class poured out of the classroom for safety, but Alya had lingered to record the villain named Deadline, who hovered over the desk with a clock situated on his chest. The hands were permanently fixed at 7:59, despite it being noon. Dressed in nothing but black and white, Deadline pointed to the young journalist. Papers around the classroom flew in her direction and Marinette had to shove Alya out the door to get her out of the way.

"Run!" Marinette urged her friend with all the force she could muster in her voice. Alya pursed her lips, but another glance at Deadline compelled her to take off. Marinette began to follow after her until Nathanael called out to her from the opposite end of the hall.

"Marinette, behind you!"

The mummified teacher scrambled out of the room, and while it wasn't in pursuit of her, the blind victim was on its way to walking into the hallway railing and falling from the second floor to the first. Marinette grimaced and ran to grab the mummy's wrist just before it would fall. Nathanael ran to catch up to her, grabbing the other wrist and pulling the teacher back up.

"Why are you saving _a teacher_?" Marinette looked up to see Deadline floating in front of her. She gasped and released the teacher's wrist as the villain glared at her and Nathanael. "They only exist to make our lives miserable! If you two love school so much, why don't you both stay here!"

A flurry of papers flung the two teenagers back into the classroom. Marinette jolted back up on her feet to run out, but the door slammed shut and the papers barricaded the door from both sides. Deadline's laughter faded further into the distance. She sighed and looked back at Nathanael, who was still sitting on the ground.

"Are you okay?"

Nathanael nodded, focusing on the door before meeting her eyes.

"Shouldn't you transform?"

Tikki raced out into the air, and Marinette exchanged smiles with her kwami. A bright pink flash later, and it was Ladybug standing in the classroom with Nathanael.

"Alright, now I just need to get back out there and-" Her words died in her throat when papers spattered the classroom windows. She sighed and placed a hand to her forehead. "Great." Not shaken, she walked over to the door and began peeling some of the papers from the door. She wasn't sure if she'd be able to rip the rest of the papers free by opening it, but she was going to try. Nathanael got up and started to tear away sheets of paper with her.

"At least Chat Noir will be able to stop her," he said, glancing over at Ladybug. Her expression turned warm.

"If that silly cat can manage without me."

More papers came down. Another minute was filled with nothing but the sounds of shredding.

"So, you ended up dating Adrien and Chat Noir?"

By impulse, she squeaked. She had been going out with Adrien as Marinette and receptive to Chat Noir's affections as Ladybug, and although this had gone on for a month already, she never stopped to think about how it looked to Nathanael. Either he would connect the dots or believe her to be a two-timer, and both seemed to be terrible conclusions.

"W-well Chat Noir is just for show! We're not really-"

Nathanael laughed.

"I'm glad you're happy, Ladybug."

She met his eyes, unsure what to make of the statement. The night she found out Adrien was Chat Noir, they stayed up on her balcony in their civilian forms. Adrien told her all about what happened with Matchmaker to the best of his ability, and it was enough for her to realize how much her time with Nathanael hurt her partner. (Adrien, of course, tried to cover it up by emphasizing the story of how he found out she had a huge crush on him.) Ever since then, she couldn't help but wonder how invested Nathanael had been in their time together, but she didn't want to let her curiosity get the best of her. Bringing up their past would benefit neither of them, but she did worry about the artist that hid behind his sketchbook and locks of auburn hair.

Yet here he was smiling at her, and Ladybug found herself smiling, too.

"Cataclysm!" Chat Noir's outcry sounded from the opposite side of the door, forcing the two to back away. The hinges on the doorway rusted and fell away, leaving the door to fall before their feet. Chat Noir stood beaming underneath the new arch, first seeing Ladybug before he saw Nathanael. When it hit him, however, the great smile dissolved into a weaker one. Ladybug ran to him, squeezing his hand once with a grateful expression.

"We better catch up, before Deadline gets away!" Ladybug pulled her hand away to reach for her yoyo, but Chat Noir caught it with his own again.

"Is that all the thanks I get, my lady?"

Ladybug didn't even have time to furrow her brow when Chat Noir leaned in to press a firm kiss on her lips- just long enough for it not to be a peck. He pulled back and sent his partner a smirk, who in return could only pout. She cast her eyes back to catch Nathanael's reaction when Chat Noir pulled her into the hall. Only able to see the redhead roll his eyes, she sighed and joined Chat Noir in jumping up to the rooftop. They landed beside each other in a crouch.

"Was a certain kitten jealous?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at her partner.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Ladybug smirked at her partner's innocent face as he pretended to scan the scene from on top of the school. She cupped her partner's cheek and turned his head towards her.

"You already made one akuma with your jealousy. We don't need two," she chided. "Besides, I've made it up to you, haven't I?"

"I don't know, my lady. That kiss you gave him was pretty heartbreaking."

His voice was too casual for Ladybug to believe he actually was upset about it anymore. She sighed.

"How many times are you going to make me _kiss it better_ , Chat Noir?"

"It's so painful, I don't think I can save Paris at this rate."

The hero brought a hand to his chest in a dramatic show of heartache, and Ladybug could only laugh. Chat Noir looked back up at her with an expectant smile. She shook her head before leaning closer to him.

"You're lucky I love you."

Screams rang out from below them, and Deadline raced out into the streets in hot pursuit of them.

"Ladybug! Chat Noir! Your time is up!"

The duo gasped and knocked their heads together from the surprise. Both drawing back to rub the sting away from their foreheads, they spared each other sheepish smiles and stood up.

"Looks like we don't have time." Ladybug sighed and cast out her yoyo.

"You can make it up to me later." Chat Noir winked and vaulted off the rooftop.

With no more words than that, the heroes took off into the sky together, becoming distant silhouettes in the cloudless skies. Once again, Ladybug and Chat Noir were forced back into the routine of restoring Paris to its former glory. Hawkmoth was terrorizing the city again, teachers everywhere were encased in paper shells, and some poor kid was upset that he couldn't turn in his assignment late.

But everything was well.

Fin.

* * *

So there's my first completed multi-chapter fanfiction, and it's Miraculous Ladybug.

Please leave reviews! I'd love to hear what you think! And a big thank you for all of you who left comments, follows, and favorites while I was writing.  
It was super-motivating and I swear I've never came across a greater fandom.


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